The Nigerian government has been urged to reject the introduction Genetically Modified Organisms, GMOs in the country.
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This was the position of a coalition of non governmental organizations at a media briefing on the sidelines of the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, Privatisation and Commercialisation, Public Assets, Science and Engineering and Special Duties have held a Public Hearing on Two Bills, in Abuja.
They said that GMOs are dangerous and injurious to human health.
A South African expert on GMO, Mr. Rutendo Matinyarare, said that southern Africa was one of the first countries in the Africa to accept GMO.
He said noted that GMO affects human immune system and gives room for diseases to thrive.
He advised Nigeria and West Africans to reject Genetically Modified Organisms as it is very harmful.
In his submission, Prof. Krisstubelg Amua of the Benue state University of Agriculture, pointed out that the western world has a hidden agenda aimed at reducing African population through the introduction of GMO.
He said that despite calls by scientists for the rejection of GMO, there are international conspiracies to force it down on Africans.
Prof. Amua also linked insecurity and flood scarcity to the conspiracy.
” I am from Benue State, a food basket that is becoming empty, not because Benue people are not producing food, not because they don’t have GMOs, it’s because ethnic and foreign interests have successfully, and I’m saying this boldly to the media and to Nigerians, because I’m a researcher, ethnic interests that are interested in marketing, dumping GMOs, which are agents of mass destruction. These are biological weapons. I’m a professor of bioinorganic chemistry.
” They are pushing insecurity on our nation, sponsoring it clandestinely, and I challenge the national security apparatus to look deeply into, investigate into why our farmers can’t go to farms, only to create a scenario of hunger to advertise genetically modified poisons. How many of you have read about COVID? COVID, which was SARS-CoV-2, emanated from a research that is generally known as gain-of-function research. Basically, that is what genetically modified organisms are”. Prof. Amua said.
He also linked GMOs to infertility and other diseases.
” Number one, whereas our grandparents were having children, our mothers were having children, 11, 12, 13, today, young Nigerian girls marry, and they are jumping from one fertility clinic to another, struggling to get pregnant.
” Today, we have the incidence of juvenile diabetes on the rise. Today, we have the incidence of young children, teenagers, coming down with high blood pressure, and cardiovascular issues. Today, autism is on the rise, and all this has been proven, connected to GMOs, and the chemicals that come with GMOs”. He emphasized.
Meanwhile, the House Joint Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, Privatisation and Commercialisation, Public Assets, Science and Engineering and Special Duties have held a Public Hearing on Two Bills
The bills are ” Introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into Nigeria, To assess the potential Health and Environmental Risk Associated With GMOs and Investigation on the Privatisation/Concession of Federal Government Silos and Other Critical Assets in Nigeria to Ascertain Criteria Used For the Selection of Private Entities, Transparency in the Bidding Process to Ensure Principle of Fairness and Equity’.
Minister of Agriculture Mr. Abubakar Kyari, acknowledged the food crisis in Nigeria that needs to be urgently addressed.
He said that the Federal Government has set up agencies to investigate GMOs through research to address the problem of farmers.
He stressed that the government subjects crops to a series of tests before consumption.
“The FG can never do anything that will be injurious to the citizens”. He said .
The speaker of the House of Representatives Mr Tajudeen Abbas,who declared the hearing open, said that the House set up the committee to investigate issues surrounding GMOs and report back to the House.
He said that the hearing was as a result of deliberations on the floor of the House.
”I am very certain and convinced with the aire of colleagues assembled here. I’m very very certain that they have the capacity and capability to thorough investigate this matter and do justice to it”. Mr. Abass said.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Bello Ka’oje, said that issue of Genetically Modified Organisms/Crops (GMO’s) in agriculture is an ongoing global debate with two broad opinions.
” Our task today as a Committee is to engage with key stakeholders who have been engaged in the debates on the appropriateness or otherwise of GMO’s to our Agriculture.
” Equally important for the attention of this Joint Committee today is to conduct an investigation into the concession/privatization of the Federal Government owned Silos. This is with a view to ensure that due processes were complied with in arriving at the concession of the Silos. The Motion calling for this investigation was referred to this Joint Committee on 20th February, 2024 as resolved by the House”. He said.
He added that ”Our role as Legislators remain to ensure that governance is carried out transparently for the greater good of the nation. We assure all stakeholders that we shall discharge our Constitutional responsibilities to the best of our capacities and for the greater good of our dear nation”.
Stakeholders and experts at the hearing were unanimous in the call to the Nigerian government to totally shutdown on any discussion on GMO.
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