Research By: Victor Angioha Undiandeye
Nigerians grow with concern every day over the recent push to impose Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) seeds and food into agricultural production and market place in the country by Western corporatocracy, majorly led by one of the world’s richest man, Bill Gates through his foundation and the sponsoring of influencers through various NGOs across the country. This move has sparked tensions, divisions across the country leading to public debates on Tv stations and on social media across the country, with opposition arguing that GMOs does not hold the potential to provide food security as argued by its propagators but rather it has high negative effects on biodiversity, traditional farming systems, environment and human health.
GMOs are organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques, although its definition varies between organizations, states, in this context it refers to every organism that has had its genes altered by humans, which include plants and animals.
Several countries have banned or restricted the use of GMOs for various reasons, ranging from concerns about environmental impact, public health, and agricultural practices. Russia brands you a terrorist for planting modified seeds, the European Union, for example, has regulations, with some member states like France, Germany, Austria, and Greece banning or restricting GMO cultivation or import. Also, countries with bans or restrictions include Algeria, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe in Africa, as well as Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, and Saudi Arabia in Asia. In the Americas, Belize, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela have also taken steps to ban or restrict GMOs.
The Center for Food Safety and Agricultural Research on its X platform states that; GMOs threaten our food sovereignty, contaminate our biodiversity and have no long-term risk assessment to ascertain it is safe for human consumption.
One would wonder why is the government of Nigeria and its agencies so relaxed about the issue on ground, or do the representatives of the people prioritize their own personal interest of filling their coffers over the welfare and wellbeing of its citizens?
In 2018 modified cotton seeds were introduced in Nigeria, research shows that between 2019 and 2024, there has been a steady rise in textile imports, showcasing the failure of the modified seeds to produce or revive the cotton industry, reflecting Nigeria’s inability to meet its local demands.
According a report by BusinessDay NG, a statement from the president of the National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN), Mr. Anibe Achimugu, farmers who cultivated the two genetically modified strains introduced six years ago did not record any significant increase in their yields compared to the local seed varieties. Also, several reports showed that the GMO seeds contaminate the land, as local seeds can no longer germinate in lands where the modified has been cultivated previously, the modified seeds can not be replanted hence keeping farmers dependent on these companies for seeds yearly, which gives the company monopoly over these seeds.
Food security is fundamental to the growth and development of any society and how can our food security be guaranteed with questions on the health and environmental implications of these seed, when the sovereignty of the seeds lies in the hands of a few companies outside the shores of our land, not even indigenous companies?
Companies like Monsanto lobbied to bring these products into the country as far back as 2016, reports by Premium Times NG showed GMO companies keep secret data to tests carried out by them and this data can only be obtained by court order. Monsanto use glyphosate infused seeds which are linked to several health challenges like liver and kidney failure, the use of the herbicide glyphosate was declared a possible carcinogen by the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
The concerns raised by Nigerians over the GMOs are very valid as the Nigerian government have not taken credible research and policy decision to approve and regulate GMOs and given the health and environmental dangers of this technology, it is irresponsible to allow this to continue.
The international system is a hostile environment and only those equipped to defend themselves can survive and Nigeria as such must prioritize agricultural research and find alternative means of securing our seeds and food production. If monopoly of our crops lies in the hands of few western companies, our economy will be controlled, policies dictated and we’re already suffering from dependency in Bretton Woods institutions such as World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
The federal government should rise to action and protect the interest of the Nigerian state, so we do not lose our seeds sovereignty and independence. We’re a critical phase in this country, hence a call for action, we must arise and fight, we must protect our food. The western countries are rejecting this seeds and Nigeria should not be a global guinea pig nor a lab rat. Until these foods are certified consumable and crops suitable for the soil, the GMOs should be removed from our domain. The GMO seeds destroy the ecosystem pushing farmers into seed slavery, therefore putting the entire country in food slavery. Scarcity of food leads to massive hunger, protests, increase crime rates and violence which is tantamount to development and progress of our nation.
The coordinated attackers on farmers across the nation is a sign that our food independence is under threat, we must arise and fight back or else food security will become food dependence.
We have issues that needs to be addressed to reach the standard of agricultural production that will serve the country and also give us the ability to export. We need policies and implementation supporting local farmers with quality seeds, tools for labour, enlightenment on development in crop studies as this will improve the farmers. The government also needs to restructure decaying ministries to enhance food testing and verification before the get to the market for consumption
We must address the challenges of food insecurity and the economic costs of importing of food annually, especially basic food we can produce on our own like, rice, beans, other produce including fresh fruits. This challenge is best addressed by dealing with the decaying system we dwell in.
The government should invest in research institutions and infrastructures in different locations parts of the country to conduct research and provide solutions to the issues surrounding our food security and improve agricultural productivity in the country.
Let us arise and secure our seeds.
Empower our research institutes.
Say no to GMOs
