Group under the agies of Coalition of Civil Society and Human Rights Organisation has affirmed it’s support for food security through the game-changing initiative in the agricultural landscape in Nigeria as a result of the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) crops in Nigeria.
The coalition said following the approval of some selected species of Cow Pea, and very recently Maize, this has been achieved through the dogged steadfastness of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), driven by the Agency’s visionary approach to leadership, achieved this on some selected genetic modified organisms seeds after undergoing scientific testing which certified the species safe both for planting and consumption, this novel project has been received with mixed reactions by individuals and organisations who support or reject the introduction of GM crops in the Country.
The coalition National chairman, Comr Dandaura Takalis, disclosed this in Abuja, on Thursday at a media palley, he said Many diverse opinions have been a subject of debate with very interesting opinions raised from both sides.
“This Coalition of Civil Society and Human Rights Organisations has weighed in on this very important topic of National Interest after painstaking research on the prones and cones of Genetically Modified Crops, the safety concerns and even economic implications of adoption of GMOs in Nigeria.
According to him, the group internal research involved consultations of experts in the areas of Biology, Agric, Biochemistry, Biotechnology and environmental Sciences both within and out side Nigeria, and based on the findings and feedback the coalition have received.
“We are delighted to add our voice in support of the introduction of GM crops in Nigeria to help in tackling the menace of poverty and hunger especially in the rural communities through increased yields and productivity which is undoubtedly one of the attribute of Genetically Modified Organisms Crops.
Dandaura said; ” the 2022 multidimensional Poverty Index MPI reported that 40.1% of Nigerians are poor and 63% are living in Multidimensional poverty. These figures should cause great concern to any patriotic Citizen of this country and therefore all and sundry must proffer solutions in their areas of influence to help Government change this unpleasant statistics. The Sustainable Development Goal Number 1 (NO POVERTY) and SDG Number 2 (ZERO HUNGER) can be achieved through policy promulgation that will fast track food productivity in the country and the adoption of GMO crops is pivotal in achieving this goal at a fast-paced rate by the year 2030.
He also said the coalition is aware that there are descending forces who are against the introduction of GM crops in Nigeria, while their concerns may be emanating from a point of genuine interest we encourage them to understand in depth the make-up of GMO crops rather than duel on conjectures and conspiracy theories which are convinced and unfounded.
” We shall address some of the “half-truths” and conspiracy theories they have hinged their arguments on. It is general knowledge that GMO Crops have been certified safe by Regulatory bodies around the world after undergoing different levels of research, testing and certification, this has put to rest the concerns of short-term or long-term health hazards from consumption of GMO Crops.
“In one of the petitions addressed to the President of the Nigerian Senate, it was alleged that there are concerns of deliberate action on sterility through an alleged incertion of terminator genes in Genetically Modified crops to target a particular region of the country, we wish to remind the authors of that petition that their claim is hinged on a research from the 1900s which did not get to production phase, Research scientists will say “That an INVITRO research was successful does not make it successful INVIVO” in a lay man’s term this means that a research was successful in a controlled environment e.g test tube does not mean it will be successful in a non-controlled environment.
He noted that the second concern raised by opposing sides is the availability of GM seedlings to farmers, since it is not palatable to re-plant seedlings from harvested crops.
“This can be mitigated by simple business arrangements by the farmers and sellers of these seedlings to secure the needed input for the next farming season; every farmer knows how to “make hay while the sun shines”. However the erroneous claim that terminator genes were cloned into these plants alongside recombinant DNA is a grievous misconception that should be stopped.
“Furthermore, farmers may have to return to seed producers (GM seedlings Companies) for input every farming season because GM crops embedded with pest resistance, drought resistance etc can go through a natural process of recombination of genes in the process of coming in the next generation which means certain genes can be “Switched off” while other genes can be “Switched On” this means some properties may be there yet not pronounced. This can make the plant growth susceptible if it looses any of its resistance. We have a feasible mitigation strategy to address the concern of “over dependence” on GM Seed companies, this can be achieved by empowering indigenous labs e.g the Agricultural Research Institute (AIR) Zaria, Kaduna state and International Institute for tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, Oyo state. These indigenous research Institutes have the capacity to serve local demands and even sell across other Countries, this will attract Foreign Direct Investment that the country needs to Strengthen the Naira while also providing an opportunity for mass job creation in Nigeria.
“Another opposing argument is having allergens as a result of consumption of GM plants is unfounded, it is also general knowledge that several crops e.g beans have capabilities to trigger allergens in the body therefore the argument that GM crops causes that is flawed because even natural crops trigger allergens. The most commonly used propaganda to discredit GM crops is the claim that it causes cancer, it has been scientifically proven by several researchers and institutes that there is no link between GM crops and cancer through consumption of GM crops.
