By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
Despite assurances by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) that it has established robust frameworks and enforcement mechanisms to ensure adherence to national and international biosafety regulations, the Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research (CEFSAR), a non-governmental organisation has stated otherwise.
Prof. Qristtuberg Amua, CEFSAR’s Executive Director, in a recent interview said that Nigeria did not have the requisite laboratory infrastructure to test and verify the safety of the GMOs products in the food industry.
He argued that the regulatory framework had no provision for labeling GMOs which invariably would deny consumers of the right to make knowledgeable decision of what to eat to and what not to eat.
The professor contented that GMOs were laced with chemicals which could lead to extinction of indigenous crops and a dependency on chemical-intensive farming methods.
He said the primary objectives of CEFSAR were to preserve native seed varieties, research sustainable agriculture practices and promote agro-ecological farming systems.
“Others are to support local and indigenous farming communities and educate farmers and stakeholders in the immediate society.
“We first of all begin with all those who consume GMOs in the form of modern crops that are being promoted in this country.
Similarly, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), said there was need to stick to agro-ecological methods of food production.
Bassey said that available data showed that 70 per cent of small-scale farmers fed the world through agro-ecological principles and techniques.
“So why do one want to jump into something that produces your food in a system with so many uncertainties? – a system that laces your food with pesticides, chemicals and insecticides.
“We need to ban them; we don’t need GMOs. Nigeria and indeed, Africa, has all it takes to grow food, to produce food that can feed our people and also export to other countries,” he said.
In his contribution, Dr Segun Adebayo, Director, Operations, CEFSAR, argued that GM crops could cause increased pesticide runoff into water sources; thereby posing a huge danger to the soil, human health and the environment.
Adebayo said there was a correspondence between the consumption of GMOs and the surge in health issues such as cancer and organ failure, particularly among young persons.
He urged Nigerians to be wary of GMOs and promote the natural food and stressing the imperative of creating a balance of knowledge to equip the public with the opportunity with consumption choices.
Recall that Dr. Agnes Asagbra, the Director-General, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), said that her agency has established robust frameworks and enforcement mechanisms to ensure adherence to national and international biosafety regulations and standards.
