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The GMOs are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) like corn, have received so many reviews, with criticisms and accolades. Some have said that GMOs are not good for human consumption while some said nothing is wrong with them. This topic has become an ongoing and controversial debate without a restive conclusion.
The most critical issue concerning GMOs in Nigeria is the adverse health effects of their crops because all GMOs are no longer natural after genetic modifications.
Experts and Advocates have raised concerns over the importation of Genetically Modified Organisms into the Nigeria without conclusive tests.
They alleged that the uncensored flooding of Nigerian markets with products that are derivatives of GMOs is a calculated attempt by unscrupulous regulators to endanger the health and lives of unsuspecting consumers.
There are warnings that GMOs distort the natural cycle of the human cell. One of the warnings comes from a Nigerian don and Molecular Biologist at the Niger Delta University, Professor Tatfeng Mirabeau, who tasked the Nigerian governments to be conscious and aware of the environmental, ecological, and health concerns scientifically proven to emanate from GMO toxicity in the human system.
Some Federal Government agencies who have given GMO corn a certificate of approval, are:
i. National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA)
ii. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
III. African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
iv. Nigerian government agencies
These agencies worked together to develop and test GMO corn varieties, such as drought-tolerant, insect-resistant, and high-yielding corn presumably to address the food insecurity challenges in Nigeria.
But Bill Gates has his hands tainted through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), which has provided funding and support for agricultural development initiatives in Nigeria, including those related to GMOs.
The advocates of GMOs have said that the development and deployment of GMOs in Nigeria followed some regulatory guidelines involving multiple stakeholders to ensure safety and efficacy assessments. Why were members of the Nigerian public, the greatest stakeholders, not carried along about the process? What is Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, doing with Agriculture and not Computer Devices in Nigeria but not in the United States of America?
The same guy has his hands full with disguises like Polio Vaccines in Nigeria without being a doctor. Did anybody question his long-time agenda? It’s the same Bill Gates and his cohorts that have allegedly accused the African countries of overpopulation. Could his immediate solution be allegedly a drastic depopulation? This is while the population of his own country, the United States of America is about 400 million. Yet, officially, America has never complained of overpopulation. Otherwise, why are Trump and his political party banning abortion? Should we not suspect his handwriting on the African walls for possible future depopulation agenda through sterilization and even death using vaccines and GMOs?
Many people can not trust Bill Gates’s clear conscience on matters concerning Africa and Africans. With the level of poverty and corruption in Africa, there is no amount, Bill Gates can not pay to have his way and there is no low my brothers can not go when one of the richest men in the world is talking to them with US dollars.
Some of the main concerns about GMO corn are the potential health hazards though further research might still be necessary. These are inclusive of:
– Allergic reactions to the introduction of new proteins into GMO corn that could remove the natural protein in the corn. It will no longer become natural thereby causing allergies to consumers.
– The Toxicity of some GMO food items like corn varieties is engineered to produce pesticides, which could potentially harm humans and animals.
– The issues of digestive problems GMO corn may contain may alter the gut bacteria or digestive enzymes.
– Some studies suggest a possible link with cancer if GMO corn is consumed, thereby causing more people to die.
– Some nutrient deficiencies in GMO corn may have altered nutritional content or reduced nutrient absorption. This may make it not good for consumers.
– Overuse of antibiotics in GMO crops, which producers do, may contribute to antibiotic resistance in those consumers of GMOs.
– Impact on the gut health of GMO corn may affect the gut microbiome, leading to various health issues. This may easily be related to the prevalence of sickness and death in societies of consumers.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that GMOs can not reproduce themselves. Farmers can not replant the seeds but expect new GMO seeds to be bought for planting at each planting time. This is a big smoking gun that proves GMOs are artificial with more reservations about consumption.
However, to get a clean slate of approval for GMO consumption some experts recommend as follows:
Much more open scientific research and tests must be done by organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), with proven evidence that found no evidence of harm from consuming GMO foods.
GMO corn must be rigorously tested for safety before approval.
More research is necessary to fully understand the potential health effects of GMO corn, with trusted patriotic, and incorruptible Africans. Anyone with concerns about GMOs may be free to boycott them.
GMOs may be the wrong path to solving the problems of hunger, starvation, and food scarcity in Nigeria, after all.
What does the safety of farmers have to do with GMO corn? Would herdsmen who drive cows with AK-47s into corn farms to eat, change their minds because of GMO corn? Can cows know the difference between GMO and natural corn? Can farmers who didn’t go to the farm for fear of death or maiming now be fearless because it is now GMO crops? Can farmers who no longer farm for fear of being kidnapped or killed now go to their farms because of GMO corn?
The possible negative answers to these questions combined with the possible negative side effects of GMO corn should be better reviewed and reconsidered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and reject the GMO crops from their sponsors on behalf of Nigerians. The negative effects may be long-term but when they come the devastation may be beyond measure and redemption. The best solution for Nigerian hunger and starvation may better include:
* Providing securities to farms, farmers, and farmsteads.
* Enacting laws against security threats to farms and farmers by banning herdsmen from carrying AK-47s for rearing their cows
* Banning rearing of cows near farmsteads
* Provision of Agric loans to farmers on confirmation of the size of lands and natural crops.
While the current reports by government officials, technological authorities, and researchers might be taken with a pinch of salt, and possibly compromised by corruption, it can influence their accurate reports and decisions. This Corruption can take many forms, including:
* Financial interests and conflicts of interest or financial gain can lead to biased reporting or decision-making.
* Political pressure on Government officials may become too irresistible to produce accurate reports or make decisions that align with political agendas rather than scientific evidence.
* Industry influences on researchers or officials may have ties to industries they are supposed to regulate or study, leading to biased results and reports.
* Lack of transparency may lead to insufficient disclosure of methods, and data, or conflicts of interest can make it difficult to assess the integrity of reports or decisions.
* Institutional capture and corruption can occur when institutions are dominated by special interests, leading to decisions that benefit those interests rather than the public interest and the good of the country or nation.
To mitigate these risks, it’s essential to have:
– Independent oversight bodies, transparent reporting and decision-making protocols and processes.
– Monitored robust conflict-of-interest protocol and policies. Regular and undisclosed audits and accountability mechanisms.
– Diverse and inclusive expert panels.
– Open communication channels from the bottom to the top for whistleblowers.
– Strong enforceable laws and regulations with enforcement mechanisms.
By acknowledging these risks and implementing measures to address them, we can increase the integrity and reliability of reports and decisions made by government officials, technological authorities, and researchers.
But until all these are done by Nigerian Expert scientists and researchers, current GMOs are suspects, and Nigerian farmers should not be lured into them. Nigerian government should put the interests of the people as the utmost concern. It should be Nigeria first in all policies and programs and not the few in the privileged leadership positions.
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