Farmers in Enugu, on Thursday, joined their counterparts in the country to protest the unrestrained releases of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), saying that genetically modified organism is a major cause of cancer and very harmful to human health.
Coordinator of the protest and Chief Executive Officer, Network of Women in Agriculture in Nigeria, Ejim Lovely, who led the protesters to the Ministry of Agriculture, Enugu, where they laid their complaint to the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mathew Idu, regretted that “Nigerians are consuming food bought from the market without any idea that they are made from genetically modified organism (GMO)”
She said that “the manner in which these items were brought into the country calls for serious concern.
“Another source of worry is that the agency set up to regulate biosafety issues in the country is a permitting agency, passing virtually every application that comes its way.”
Ejim said that though the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA)has a law on importation of GMOs into the country, “the NBMA Act needs to be repealed .
According to her, the Act is flawed with respect to the absence of provision for the strict liability and redress which mandates that the Biotechnology corporations take responsibility for immediate and forthcoming negative impacts of use of their product ,as is the case in a similar Act in Uganda.
She listed probllems farmers face to include lack of access to information, poor public consultation and participation , provisions for appeals and reviews and lack of veritable provisions for the enforcement of the and and decision making
Ejim explained that the NBMA confers discriminatory powers to the agency and gives little .
The group called for nullification of the permits issued for the importation and release of genetically mórdified maize , beans , cotton into the country; close survilllance of market and firms to halt illegal entry of GMOs into Nigeria and into the food supply; a ban of all toxic agrochemicals, especially glyphosate, containing ones identified as probable carcinogenes.
“The government should support agroecology and provide needed infrastructure, credit scheme and extension service to enable farmers produce food optimally”, Ejim said.
Responding, Iduh expressed shock that genetically modified organisms were still brought into the country.
The commissioner advised the protesters to also take the protest to the National Assembly for a bill on GMOs to be sponsored and passed into law, so that it could be enforced
He assured the farmers that their demands will be taken to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
