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Group Warns of Influx of GM Crops, Foods
Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), non-governmental organisation, has raised the alarm over the influx of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) crops and foods in the country, alleging connivance of the government.
It said government was not only endangering the lives of the people as could be seen in the increase in some non-communicable diseases, but also in the loss of some traditional crops that promote food security and safety.
Declaring open a workshop for journalists in Rivers State on the promotion of bio-safety in Nigeria organised by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation; Nnimmo Bassey, executive director of the NGO, lamented that the hunger in most parts of the world, including Nigeria, was not only due to insufficient foodstuff but the difficulty in accessing the food in the rural areas.
He said in most parts of Nigeria, the roads to where most of the foodstuffs are produced are impassable, making it difficult for farmers to bring their produce to where they could be sold.
Bassey added: “Food safety is a challenge facing us as regards what to eat. There is need for people to have access to good food. We want food to be seen as life and culture and not as commodity.
“The problem facing us as regards food is that there is no access road to move food from rural communities to the cities. The few that try would increase their prices.
“There is also the problem of storage facilities, processing facilities, and absence of fair pricing are reasons foods from villages hardly get to the cities.
“People are not hungry because there is no food to eat, but over 30 per cent of food goes waste and most used for industrial purposes.”
He, therefore, debunked the argument that genetically modified crops and foods would increase food production, adding that they rather negatively impact the health of the citizenry.
He stated that genetically modified (GM) crops are developed mainly by agrochemical firms who focus on herbicide-tolerant or pesticidal crops which ultimately were injurious to the people and the environment.
He also added that the GM crops are usually patented by the companies that produce them and destroy seed-saving, which also reduces self-reliance as local seeds are destroyed.
He also added that most people consume GM crops without knowing as the labelling of consumables do not work in the country, and even when some canned foods are labelled, most people do not read the labels.
In his presentation titled: ‘Genetically Modified Organisms and their Implication for Nigeria,” Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi, an expert on Medical/Molecular Microbiology of the University of Abuja, accused the Nigerian government of adopting and supporting the introduction of GM foods and crops into the country, through the speedy approvals given to firms bringing the products into the country.
He said: Production and distribution of GMOs and products containing GMOs are increasing in the world, especially Nigeria. Today, GM technology was being utilised in Nigeria to develop cowpea, a crop grown predominantly by poor men and women.
“Poor farmers using GM crops will ultimately be forced to begin to buy patented seeds resulting in loss of control over conventional seeds for all farmers but decreasing farmers control over production even further. It can increase food insecurity.
“GMOs are just technology and not food system. As a technology, it must be used in a systematic manner. Surreptitiously, Nigerian government is adopting GMOs. If they are not supporting it, then, why the speedy approvals for GM food in the last four years?”
He stated: “There is a growing body of evidence connecting GMOs with health issues, environmental damage, and even violations of consumers’ and farmers’ rights.”
CommunicationsWeek Media Limited, a certified global ICT company with over two million online subscribers, is delighted and proud to announce Prof. Yakub Aliyu, as the keynote speaker at Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Distinguished Lecture series 2024.
Aliyu, will be speaking on the theme: Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Good, The Complex and The Anticipated”, this leans heavily on the fact that AI changing our lives– we just need to know where to look today.
This year’s rebranded Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Distinguished Lecture/Awards Series is slated for Saturday, May 25, 2024 at the Four Points by Sheraton, Lagos.
The event is the most prestigious annual event that brings together captains of industry in both technology and financial worlds.
According to Ken Nwogbo, CEO, Communication Week Media Ltd, organisers of the ABoICT Distinguished Lecture/Awards Series, “the choice of Prof. Yakub Aliyu is deliberate because of his exceptional career in Artificial Intelligence (AI)”.
He added that, AI is considered to have the potential to instigate a fourth industrial revolution,1 and is dramatically changing people’s patterns of interaction and economic activities.
“The traditional factors of production and physical capital and labour may no longer promote substantial economic growth. It is generally believed that AI will be one of the most important factors determining future economic growth,” he said.
A professor of microelectronics and a scholar-practitioner in artificial intelligence and deep machine learning for industrial applications and high-speed application processors. His research interests include Multimodal AI models for high-efficiency industrial robot applications and Human AI interactions.
He also has adjunct academic professorships at five African, USA, and UK universities. Holds a BS in Applied Physics Electronics from Karlsruhe and A Bello Universities in Germany and Nigeria, an MBA in International Business Management from the University of London, an MSEE (Master of Engineering, Electronics), and a Ph.D. in Electronics Engineering from the University of Wales.
Prof. Aliyu is the global quality director for Bourns Inc., Riverside, California, USA, an electronics system, and components manufacturer. I oversee quality functions in 21 factories worldwide.
He has also held quality and operational management leadership positions at National Semiconductors, Bell Labs-Lucent Technology, Texas Instrument, Global Foundries, and Roper Technologies USA.
Authored and coauthored over 30 Advanced Technology United States-issued patents in High-Speed Application Processors and Contributed to over 40 international impact Journals, chapters, and conferences; FASI, SMIEEE USA, MIEE UK, M. Inst pf Physics Chartered Phys and C Eng UK.
Past lecturers included Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, then executive vice chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa, former Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC); Dr. Jean Luc Fort, CEO at OR System France and a specialist in Counterparty Risk; and Professor Chris Nwagboso, Chairman, Knowledge Factory International, United Kingdom.
Others are: Uche Orji, managing director/chief executive officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA); Biodu Omoniyi, Managing Director/CEO, VDT Communications; Ayotunde Coker, Managing Director, Rack Centre Limited; Peter Adedayo Arogundade, managing director and chief executive officer, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited; Dr. Adewale Obadare, chief visionary officer, Digital Encode and John Obaro, CEO and founder of Systemspecs; Prof. Isa Pantanmi, minister of Communications and Digital Economy; Dr. Seyi Akindeind, co-founder, Digital Encode; Dr Krishnan Ranganath, Regional Director, Africa Data Centres.
Legit.ng recently joined forces with the Shade of Life Foundation to become a voice of autism, and drive advocacy for improved media support during Autism Awareness Month.
Participants at the event
Conversations around media support exploration was led by Joseph Omotayo, head of Department for Human Interest Stories at Legit.ng, and Dr. Eziafakaku Nwokolo, founder and CEO of the Shade of Life Foundation,
This partnership is a response to the concerns raised by organizations like the Shade of Life Foundation about the level of support received from the media in discussing autism as a disability.
While other disabilities may receive attention, autism, with its critical developmental implications often lacks adequate representation in mainstream media.
Recognizing the importance of addressing these concerns, Legit.ng took proactive steps by integrating itself into the essence of autism awareness.
It facilitated a one-hour workshop with Dr. Nwokolo, the founder of the foundation, to deepen our understanding of autism, its various spectrums, and the language boundaries associated with it.
Other steps we took in advocating autism awareness in the media, can be seen in our attached press release.
Legit.ng believes that by amplifying the voices of autism and advocating for better media representation, we can contribute to creating a more inclusive and accepting society for all.
While 85 per cent of Nigeria is in darkness, Tanzania, an African country has shut down five hydroelectric stations in a bid to reduce excess electricity in the national grid.
Kassim Majaliwa, prime minister, Tanzania, has said the main plant, Mwalimu Nyerere Hydroelectric Station, alone generated enough electricity to power major cities, including Dar es Salaam, the country’s commercial hub.
It is the first time Tanzania, which suffers chronic power shortages, has closed hydroelectric stations due to excess production.
“We have turned off all these stations because the demand is low and the electricity production is too much, we have no allocation now,” an official from state-run power company, Tanesco, said.
The 2,115MW Julius Nyerere Hydropower Dam is said to be almost filled with water following heavy rains that started early this year.
Meanwhile, while the country has an installed capacity of 1,938MW and the grid installed capacity of 1,899MW, Nigeria which has an installed capacity of 13,000MW is struggling to electrify 85 per cent of its electricity consumers.
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