Wetin be GMO and which foods for Nigeria dey di list?

BBC News

3 days ago

Recently, di question of GMO foods don enta di Nigerian consciousness again.
Infact, di mata loud sotay, Di National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Director General, Dr Agnes Asagbra comot to clear di air. She tell Channels TV say, "Nigeria need GMO for food security. We no fit meet our food requirements by di rural farming wey we dey do".
Fears bin dey ginger on top how much genetically modified foods dey inside di food wey we dey chop as well as wetin di plants dey cause for di environment plus wetin di food dey cause wen pipo chop am.
Na wetin we wan torchlight for dis tori.
Wetin be GMO?
Genetic modified organisms refer to any plant or animal wey dem add di genetics of anoda plant or animal put to add particular trait wey no dey inside am. Dem dey use am mostly to create drought resistance and plants wey dey resistant to insect infestation.
NBMA, di bodi wey dey in charge of regulating how GMOs dey enta di kontri, define am say, "na any organism wey be living or non-living wey get key combinations of genetic material wey dem collect by using modern biotechnology".
Di former DG of di NBMA, Rufus Ebegba explain am give BBC say, "if you wan make bitterleaf sweet you fit find out wetin make sugar cane sweet, den you fit move dat particular characteristics enta bitterleaf and di bitterleaf go become sweet"
Di modern biotechnology for inside dat definition mean say all di traditional means of cross breeding to create di type plant or animal specie wey don dey wit human being for long for our history, no dey inside wetin dem dey call GMO.
One environmental engineer wey follow BBC News Pidgin tok Yekinni Oluwafemi, gree wit dat school of thought. E say, "to my knowledge, cross breeding no be form of genetic modification."
Oga Yekinni add say, "di main difference between modern GMO techniques and older methods like crossbreeding or cross-planting na precision and scope. For instance, instead of say you breed crops for years to improve drought tolerance, genetic engineering fit directly put drought resistant gene for plant".
Dr Bernard Ehirim wey be geneticist and program Officer for di African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) tell BBC News Pidgin about di different ways wey dis genetic modification dey happun.
Di biotechnologies wey im tok include: Recombinant DNA technology, CRISPR gene editing (even though arguments dey say dis technology no be GMO technology), agrobacterium-mediated transformation and gene gun aka biolistics.
Dr Asagbra tok say, "ova di years, we don make sure say any GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) wey dey approved for Nigeria don pass through all di necessary tests wey e need wit international standard bifor we allow am to dey released commercial".
Last year, di Federal Ministry of Health bin don release joint press statement between di NBMA and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), as dem ginger say dem go continue to collaborate on di mata of genetically modified foods.
History of GMO for Nigeria
Na for 2001, di mata of GMO first enta Nigeria but no be till 2004, na im Nigeria sign Memorandom of Understanding wit di US goment to support genetically modified crops.
For 2015, na im former President Goodluck Jonathan sign di National Biosafety Management Act to law, wey allow free flow of GMO come Nigeria.
But e still take anoda four years before Nigeria go approve dia first GMO food crop wey be cowpea, aka beans.
For January 2024, dem approve di cultivation and commercial release of TELA Maize.
Oga Yekinni add say "most GMOs for Nigeria dey for plants as no much focus dey for animals."
Which food be GMO for Nigeria
Dr Asagbra list three crops wey dey genetically modified and dey approved for Nigeria.
Dem include BT Cotton, BT cowpea (ie beans) and Tela maize.
She say for di beans, e become necessary to comot di insects wey dey normally disturb di crop.
She also say e dey drought resistant and bicos of climate change, e dey important.
However, e no mean say GMO never make im way enta animal wey don enta Nigeria, but no be di one for eating.
For May 2024, announcement land say GMO mosquitoes don enta di country to stop di spread of di specie of mosquito wey dey spread malaria.
Dem release di non-biting male Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes wey go mate wit di females wey dey spread di disease. Di plan na say dis male get self-limiting genes so dem go use am take mate wit di females, any female pikin wey dem born no go live reach adulthood.
Dr Ehirim add say dia be some kain cornflakes wey you don chop wey GM corn dey inside.
Dr Ehirim dey of di mindset say pipo no dey ask di right questions on top di mata of GMO but still di fear still dey ground.
Fears ova GMOs, dem dey valid?
One farmer and environment/ SDG advocate, David Ezeonyekwere tell BBC News Pidgin say im only question wey im get na who dey fund di development, as e no want wetin hapun to farmers wit hybrid seeds, make e do dem wit dis one.
Hybrid seeds no dey replantable afta first harvest.
E say, "make I give you example, for 2020... 2021, we bin get issues wit non-viable seeds, wey be hybrid no be GMO o, wen we get dis issue at di end of di day, bicos we dey used to dis particular seeds, di simple simple ones wey we dey use before, we no fit get dem. I know how many years e take us before we fit fall back".
E say, e no dey for or against GMOs but e dey importan to find out who dey fund am sake of say no be Nigeria, "dem neva deal wit Boko Haram finish na GMO studies dem wan come fund."
Dr Ehirim also torchlight say risk dey for environmental damages wit GMO due to crossbreeding wit wild species, loss of biodiversity, development of superweeds or resistant pests but beta regulation and management strategies go comot di risks.
On di mata of cross-pollination, e say too many times pipo dey torchlight how GMO plants dey affect wild plants but na both ways di tin dey go, di wild plants fit also affect GMOs but "no safety issue dey as long as di GMO crops don go through regulatory requirements and dey pronounced safe."
Apart from all dis tok-tok from industry pipo, like farmers, loud discussion dey for di Nigeria social media space about wetin GMO dey do and weda e fit cause diseases plus wetin be dia impact on di society.
Wetin goment don tok about genetically modified food
Di Nigerian goment bin set up di NBMA to torchlight di mata of GMO foods.
Dem say dem get several committees wey dey in charge of testing dis GMO foods to torchlight weda e dey safe for di environment, safe to chop, safe for di ecological environment, or di local plants and animals.
Dr Asagbra tok say one of di ways wey dem wan take run dat parole na to make sure say all di seeds wey dem dey use for Nigeria dey made in Nigeria and not abroad.
She tok say, "ova di years, any GMO wey don dey approved for Nigeria don go through ogbonge scientific analysis. All of dem na of international standards.
"We get di Cartagena Protocol under di Convention of Biodiversity and also get di Codex Alimentarius of di WHO standard".
She also add say part of her agency work na to go markets and make sure say GMO foods dey labelled and dem dey work togeda wit NAFDAC for di appropraite labelling.
Wetin sabi pipo tok about genetically modified food
Oga Yekinni tok say, "till today, no credible scientific evidence dey link approved GMO foods to diseases or deaths for human beings.
"Major health joinbodi dem like World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) gree say GMO foods for di market dey as safe as conventional foods".
Oga Ebegba add say, "all genetically approved products for world, all of dem dey confam safe".
E also add say as at 2024, di GMO foods neva land Nigerian markets as dem still dey di hand of farmers wey wan grow di food in commercial quantities.
Dr Ehirim point out say, e don alreadi dey chop GM beans for long and notin don do am, e say, "current research no show reliable evidence say GMOs dey cause cancer. GM foods wey dey approved for market dey go through safety assessment by regulatory joinbodis and dem dey seen as safe as food wey no be GMO."
E add say, "I don dey plant GMO beans for my farm since 2021, my whole household dey chop GMO beans. I start to dey plant BT beans (cowpeas) since 2021, dem release am for 2019. I neva chop any oda kain beans since dat time"
On top di fears of weda di GM seeds no dey replantable, Dr Ehirim tok say na mistaken identity wit hybrid seeds and situation wit GM seeds wey get terminator genes cause am.
E say, "pipo dey confuse wetin dem dey call hybrid seed technology wit GM technology. Na for di hybrid seed technology, say wen you plant, and use di seeds from di harvest, you no go get di amount of harvest you bin get from your first harvest. Hybrid seed technology don dey way way before GMO".
Howeva, on di mata of GM seeds wit terminator gene wia you no fit replant seed wey you get from di last harvest, Dr Ehirim say dat one no dey again.
E reveal say, "na bicos of wetin happun for Brazil wey make regulators stop di use of di terminator genes for GMO foods. Dat terminator gene, once you harvest your seed wan replant am, dat gene no go gree am to germinate".
"Infact as we dey speak, no GMO product dey worldwide wey get di terminator genes now", na so di geneticist tok.
While many pipo dey torchlight labelling as part of di wahala wit GMOs, Dr Ehirim ask how dem go take label market woman beans wen sometimes dem dey mix dem togeda witout care for di brand of beans.
E say wetin dem dey do na to label di seeds and not just bicos of di regulations of di country, but also for liability purposes. "If pesin carry di seeds cross border to country wey no get regulations, e dey your hand wia dem write say e dey limited to use for Nigeria, so na you go carry anytin your eye see".
Nigerian regulations against GMO
NBMA tok say three regulations dey to guide di movement of GMO foods for Nigeria.
Dem be di National Biosafety Management Agency Act, 2015, Plants Quarantine Act 2017, and Customs and Excise Management Act 2004.
Dem dey to give regulatory framework for how modern biotechnology go dey used for di country. Di odas dey to regulate di importation of di plants or plants products.