I have received many requests for information on GMO seeds and their safety, and I have watched several video clips that criticize GMOs with serious accusations. I decided to update my previous articles on GMOs and food security. Over the past seven years, I have written multiple articles on this subject, and this will be the fifth in a series about GMOs, covering their origins, threats, biosafety, and the launch of Tela maize and Pod Bora cowpea, the first GMOs in Nigeria. The goal of this article is not to promote or discredit GMOs but to present facts about the Nigerian seed system, including GMOs, challenges, and the way forward. What is GMO?
A Genetically Modified Organism is a byproduct of biotechnology. In medicine, biotechnology has existed for many centuries as a source of innovation. Hitherto, biotechnology was a non-issue or, like any other technological breakthrough, until it widened its scope to include the latest globally controversial product: a genetically modified organism, GMO, or transgenic organism. This recent status has brought biotechnology to the forefront of contemporary limelight, accompanied by hype and sensationalism, and elevated it to a global footing on a multilateral agenda. The first stage of biotechnology is breeding crops or animals. Traditionally, breeding plants and animals aims to tailor the plant or animal for a particular character or trait improvement. For example, a new crop variety might be bred for drought tolerance or disease resistance.
Traditional breeding involves using germplasm from a pool of ancestors with desirable traits of interest and crossing them to produce progeny that carry the heritability of both parents and exhibit favorable traits from both. Since the progeny carries half of the desired and undesired hereditary characteristics from the parents, they will be passed on. It takes several breeding cycles (backcrossing) to eliminate the undesired traits and build on the desired traits. This certainly takes time. The final new plant variety or breed of animal, after several years of selection, will have the desired characteristics.
Thanks to Genetic engineering, which offers the means to breed crops with sexual incompatibility barriers. It also enables the transfer of genes between entirely unrelated organisms, such as bacteria and plants. This cutting–edge technology allows scientists to silence genes in viruses, bacteria, or pests that attack plants or animals, thereby retarding growth and productivity or even ultimately killing such organisms.
While this incredible innovation can advance the cause of human progress, it can potentially have adverse effects on humanity, prompting concern among people. Those manipulating a gene from one organism to another can also introduce a harmful gene for ulterior motives. Nothing stops an insane person from using this novel technology as biological warfare to wipe out certain people. The world must protect itself from this murderous insanity, not by shying away from using the technology, but by adopting a foolproof strategy for the safe utilization of the technology. In line with this thinking, a biosafety international agreement called the “Cartagena Protocol” was signed by 173 United Nations member countries to address the safe transfer, handling, and use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and their products. Thus, all GMO products in countries with a Biosafety law go through a series of stringent food toxicity and environmental safety tests that include assessment of homology to known allergens and toxins of the target genes, protein digestibility, acute oral gavage study toxicity (in mice), compositional analysis for unintended effects on carbohydrate, protein, and minerals, gene flow studies, and impact on non-target insects, etc., before they can be used commercially for food or feed.
Safety was the main reason for adopting the Cartagena Protocol. Nigeria, along with other countries that signed the protocol, was advised to implement it domestically to ensure the protection of its citizens. The government has a clear and unwavering duty to safeguard people from food poisoning, contamination, and adulteration.
Food must be protected because it could be used as a biological weapon. A biological weapon is more deadly than a nuclear one due to its deception, slow damage, and ability to spread from localized outbreaks to global pandemics, as demonstrated by the deadly COVID-19 in 2020. Based on the fear of biological warfare, many countries are oversensitive to the importation of biological materials into their countries. Such countries implement stringent measures and conduct thorough scrutiny of both processed and unprocessed foods before they are imported. I recalled my unpleasant encounter with security personnel when I accidentally brought a piece of kilishi (dry meat) onto the plane that I couldn’t finish and then declared it at the security desk. It took three hours of questioning and scanning before I was allowed to go after the kilishi I bought at Shagalinku Restaurant in Abuja on the day I traveled was confiscated.
It is against this background that the question of the safety of GMO seeds released in Nigeria is posed, as the world is divided into two camps: those who are pro-GMOs and those who are against them. More than 30 countries have comprehensive bans on GMOs, including members of the European Union and African countries such as France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Algeria, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe. However, the banning or strict regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is a complex issue driven by a combination of scientific precaution, economic interests, political factors, and public sentiment. It is important to recognize that most major international scientific organizations, including the WHO, FAO, and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, have concluded that currently available GM foods are just as safe to eat as their conventional counterparts. They have found no validated evidence indicating that GMOs pose unique health risks.
However, the debate persists over environmental impacts and socio-economic issues, which are more about management, regulation, and the chosen model of agriculture than about absolute safety. While the controversy over GMOs continues, in early 2019, Nigeria’s Federal Government approved the commercial release of the pod borer-resistant PBR Cowpea. Four years after the PBR Cowpea was introduced, Tela maize was also released, followed by GMO cotton. Are the GMOs released in Nigeria safe for consumption? How is the Nigerian seed system performing? What are the challenges faced by the seed system, and how can we ensure food security? To be continued next week.
