Controversy over genetically modified seeds #nigeria

CIVIL society groups in Lagos recently petitioned the
Federal Government against any attempt to introduce
Genetically Modified (GM) foods or Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMOs) into the agricultural sector of the
country.
In the petition, which was submitted to the office of Lagos
State governor, the groups called for a ban on GM seeds
which some foreign biotechnology corporations are
planning to introduce into Nigeria through the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture. The petitioners also cautioned the
Senate against passing the Bio-Safety Bill.
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Leader of Nigerians Against
GMOs, said one of the problems with GM seeds is that it is a
foreign technology. "It is a creation of foreign biotech firms.
When they give you seeds, the seeds cannot be replanted.
Which means that they own the patent rights for the seeds.
So, every time you need to replant, you have to go back to
them to buy the seeds. Now, in the process of planting the
seeds and using their chemicals, you kill your own soil. It is
made up of bacterial and other living things. Monsanto's
system kills the soil. It now makes your land only suitable
for their own seeds. That is the main problem of
dependency. That means local farmers will have to pay
double to buy GM seeds.
"Another factor is contamination. When you grow this plant
on your soil, the pollen from them go and mix with your
natural breed. When that happens, your natural breed
becomes genetically modified. There are a lot of bigger
factors involved here."
According to him, what now happens is that when they now
spray Monsanto herbicides, the plants will not die but the
weeds will die. "If you don't alter that gene, everything will
die. So they change the plants, they don't change their
chemicals. Independent researches have shown that these
things lead to cancer. Research done by scientists on the
effect of human exposure to such chemicals and foods
linked GMO's to stunted growth, impaired immune systems,
bleeding stomachs, abnormal and potentially precancerous
cell growth in the intestines, reduced digestive enzymes
among others."
He disclosed that many of the G8 countries have banned
GM seeds. "Germany, France, Japan, Italy, England have
banned GMOs. It is only Canada and America that allow GM
seeds. Biotechnology has been existing in America since
1992. There is a company called Eulocyte. They announced
in 2001 that they had developed a corn variety that has a
spermicide effect. So if you eat their corn you cannot
reproduce."
"Our government needs to invest in laboratories, needs to
pay our scientists well, needs to provide 24-hour electricity
so that we can do genetic experiment and then they can
create things for us."
On his part, Dr. Martin Fregene, an agricultural biotech
expert and a senior researcher at Donald Danforth Plant
Science Centre, United States, but now a Senior Technical
Assistant to the Agriculture Minister, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina,
adding that the current Biosafety Bill has gone through
public hearing twice in the National Assembly and it is
untrue that the Senate is trying to pass a bill without
consulting the public.
"As a matter of fact, during the Musa Yar'Adua's regime, the
National Assembly did public hearing, and got views from
many Nigerians then. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development (FMARD) is one of the agencies of
government that support the National Biosafety Bill which
promotes the responsible use of new technologies," Fregene
said.
He added that there are no GMO seeds being grown in
Nigeria at the moment; no local or foreign seed company
can introduce GMOs into Nigeria without a regulatory
approval from the Federal Ministry of Environment. "None of
the seeds given out under the Agric Minister's Growth
Enhancement Support Scheme (GES) is GMO seed. As a
matter of fact, it is a crime in most countries of the world,
including Nigeria, to hand out GMO seeds without
regulatory approval."