By Pascal Ibe
“While many countries banned GMO, citing side effects like:
•Kidney failure
•Antibiotic resistance
•Hormonal disorder
•Cancer
•Celiac disease
•Gastrointestinal tract disease, Nig. just signed a deal for it.
“The GMO Doctor even said it’s not suitable for UK, but it’s fitted for Nigerians
This is a post made by an X user named KENJES in January 2024..
In an article by Premium Times in April, the environmental think-tank Health of Mother Earth Foundation ( HOMEF) and several other groups, who issued a joint statement at the time condemning GMO adoption in the country.
While commending the intention of the Nigerian authorities to address food insufficiency in the country, HOMEF expressed disappointment over the release of the genetically modified varieties.
The group noted that there is no evidence of a risk assessment conducted before the release of the Tela maize on either the website of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), the agency saddled with the responsibility of regulating the uses of GMOs or the Biosafety Clearing House of the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity, where parties are expected to upload updates on their decisions/use of GMOs/LMOs.
In his reaction, HOMEF’s Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey, said, “It is totally unacceptable that in the name of food sufficiency, the country is exposing its citizens to products of risky technologies without adequate, independent and/or long-term assessment on their impacts on human and environmental health.”
The environmentalist said there are many challenges associated with genetic modification crops that cannot be denied.
he claimed that GMOs have been linked to cancers, diseases, allergies, and all sorts of health challenges due to environmental implications because of their dependency on toxic pesticides and the destruction of biodiversity and nutritional diversity.
“We are also concerned that there is no way to label or inform our farmers that they are planting GMO maize. To deny Nigerians the right of choice is highly objectionable and wicked,” Mr Bassey noted.
Also, article recently by ThisDay, pointed out that the potential health risks associated with Tela maize have sparked widespread concern among Nigerians, as the crop’s exposure to toxic pesticides has been linked to a myriad of serious health problems, including cancer, kidney damage, birth defects, neurological disorders, and immune system suppression.
This has prompted calls for caution and demands for safer alternatives, as a Nigerian maize farmer like Mrs Nkechi Okoro, emphasises the need to prioritize health and wellbeing.
About The Tela Maize
According to African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Maize is the most widely grown food crop in Africa with more than 300 million people depending on it as their main food source. Its production is however severely affected by drought and insect-pests, which negatively impact yields leading to crop failure, hunger and poverty. Identifying ways to mitigate drought risk, stabilize yields, and encourage small-scale farmers to adopt best management practices is fundamental to realizing food security and improved livelihoods for the continent.
Through the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development, AATF is leading the TELA Maize Project, a public-private partnership that is addressing the problem of drought in maize and destructive insects specifically stemborers and fall armyworm. Stemborers reduce maize production in several countries in Africa; and in Kenya alone, this loss averages 13% or 400,000 tonnes per year equivalent to USD 90 million. Similarly, projections estimate that the Fall Armyworm could destroy up to 20 million metric tons of maize in Africa each year, enough to feed 100 million people. The TELA Project is working towards commercialisation of transgenic drought-tolerant and insect-protected maize varieties to enhance food security in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The word ‘TELA’ is derived from the Latin word TUTELA which means ‘Protection’.The TELA Maize Project builds on progress made from a decade of excellent breeding work under the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) Project. The TELA Maize Project is currently implemented in 7 countries – Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.
Nigerian Government Approval
In June, the Federal Government, unveiled and released four varieties of maize that are drought and pest-resistant, and declared that the new crop would double the production of maize in Nigeria.
It released the crop varieties in partnership with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, and the Institute for Agricultural Research in Abuja, where farmers under the aegis of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria were given some of the new maize varieties to cultivate.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sabi Abdullahi, who unveiled the crop during the Tela Maize Nigeria Launch, said the new maize varieties would ensure sustainable production of the crop in Nigeria and drastically cut down production losses.
He said, “The issue with Tela maize is that it is high yielding, which means the present yield farmers are making will be more than doubled, based on what the researchers told us. The yield will rise from the current two or three tonnes to as high as nine to 10 tonnes
Online Criticisms And Untrue Protests
For more than two weeks now, Nigerians on social media, especially on X, continue to criticize the Bill Gates funded GMO Tela Maize.
Nigerians claimed Tela Maize is poisonous and has potential health risks.
Six days ago, an X user Deborah wrote, “I’m tired of Nigeria and @officialABAT dangerous govt. Bill Gates GMO chemical seeds poison in Nigeria already since April 2024. @roxydado and govt officials @NafdacAgency will hear from us. Fulani herdsmen terrorists destroyed maze farm because of GMO chemical seeds.“
Another user, Queen Ofuonyemeni claimed that “GMOs crops will not reduce hunger in Africa. Hunger in Africa is not due to a lack of food; there is enough food for all. But GMO promoters are destroying our farmlands. #BanGMOImmediately #SayNoGMOs“
Posted on WhatsApp groups last week, with image of Nigeria protesters carrying placards with inscriptions “We Reject Bill Gates Funded GMO Seeds, We Say No To Bill Gates Tela Maize“, the post on many WhatsApp groups claimed the protests against GMOs have begun! “This is a battle between Bill Gates and the rest of the world“
Thefactwatch searched thoroughly to find any protest in Nigeria over GMO seeds but no credible news organization in Nigeria reported any protest recently.
When we checked on AI generated image website, results on Hive Moderation indicated that the photo of people protesting against GMO seeds is 99% AI generated.
Falsehood On Heath Concerns
In a comprehensive report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the safety assessment of GM foods generally focuses on: (a) direct health effects (toxicity), (b) potential to provoke allergic reaction (allergenicity); (c) specific components thought to have nutritional or toxic properties; (d) the stability of the inserted gene; (e) nutritional effects associated with genetic modification; and (f) any unintended effects which could result from the gene insertion.
The report stated that different GM organisms include different genes inserted in different ways. This means that individual GM foods and their safety should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and that it is not possible to make general statements on the safety of all GM foods.
GM foods currently available on the international market have passed safety assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health. In addition, no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved. Continuous application of safety assessments based on the Codex Alimentarius principles and, where appropriate, adequate post market monitoring, should form the basis for ensuring the safety of GM foods.
Few days ago, the National Emergency Management Agency ((EMA), assured that the agency conducted a thorough risk assessment and analysis of TELA maize to ensure its safety for human consumption.
NEMA noted that National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) participated in the certification process.
Additionally, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), and several university research centres contributed to the review.
Expert Interview
In an interview with Dr. Peter Goldsbrough, Professor of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University which posted on it’s YouTube account, Goldsbrough assured that there’s no cause for alarm.
Watch the interview here
Conclusion
Confirmation by WHO, NEMA and Expert showed that claims of health risk associated with GMO seeds are false.
There’s no protest anywhere in Nigeria over this.
Pascal Ibe, a journalist, fact checker and writer, writes from Owerri, Imo State. ibepascal858@gmail.com
Please note that thefactwatch is a verification platform owned by CrimeFacts news
