GMOs: The Destructive ‘5 Minutes Lies’

Nigeria is battling to reverse a toxic social media campaign against the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the country that is threatening to reverse progress made in the development of indigenous scientific capacity and adoption of modern Agricultural Biotechnology for improved food supply and productivity. 

By Onche Odeh

Ade Stephens (not real names), is a cobbler who operates from a make-shift shop in the Phase 3 area in Gwagwalada, a sub-urban settlement that is 40-minute drive from the city centre in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

For many years, Stephens has been the handy cobbler for this reporter and many other residents of the area whenever there was the need to get his shoes amended or repaired.

Stephens’ shop is just a few minutes trek away from the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital and less than five minutes’ drive from the mini-campus of the University of Abuja in a residential area that houses most of the mid-level to senior staff of the university and institutions like the National Agricultural Seed Council of Nigeria (NASC), Sheda, National Mathematical Centre, among others who have found the few minutes’ drive to their respective offices and work places easy to handle. This probably explains why most of his patrons and customers are reasonably educated and enlightened.

Despite not being very educated, Stephens is always able to stoke a conversation around conventional issues with his customers, who seemingly are always ready to offer perspectives on most of the issues raised. This was the case on the Friday that this reporter visited his shop to get his shoes amended in readiness for the weekend.

Stephens, as usual, used the bargaining process for the cost of repairing the shoes to delve into issues of governance, and this time, he chose to express his distraught for some of the government policies that has stifled food availability in his household.

In an emotion-laden tone that betrayed his inner burden, Stephens threw a query at the reporter with a follow-up guess that suggests that he really thinks the reporter could give him an answer that would douse his internal pressure.

Speaking in typical Nigerian broken English, he said; “Oga (sir), you people that are close to the government, wetin dey happen for Nigeria (what is happening in Nigeria)? One cannot buy food to eat.”

While trying to process this query, he dropped a follow-up poser that speaks to the contentious issue that threatened the answer to his initial query, saying, “After the government removed subsidy on petroleum products that has caused the cost of all food items to rise, they have brought one kind of maize that they say will kill us.”

Without guessing far, it was apparent that the cobbler was reacting to some posts that flooded the social media space about TELA Hybrid maize varieties, genetically modified versions of maize that was launched in Nigeria on June 11, 2024 which he received, unsolicited, through the basic mobile android phone he owes.

At the time TELA Maize was the subject of a social media campaign championed by groups opposed to the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria. The social media campaign carried messages that suggested that TELA Maize and other GMOs were a threat to the people’s health, destructive to the environment, among other claims.

Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and the GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance are two groups that have been at the forefront of the campaign against the introduction of GMOs in Nigeria.

In several of their press statements, the latest being the communique from a virtual conference they recently hosted, the group stated that, “There is significant linkage of consumption of GMOs with several health and environmental implications including cancers, mental health, disorders, immune disorders as well as loss of nutritional and biological diversity,” adding also that the “Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Crops have been linked to soil degradation through the destruction of soil microbiota leading to reduced productivity and yields.”

Among many other claims, the group also stated that GMOs can be used as biological weapons due to the ability to alter genetic material of species and to drive extinction.

This point was echoed by Environmental rights activist and Architect, Nnimmo Bassey, who is Director of HOMEF, in his opening remarks during a one-day workshop on Biosafety for journalists in Lagos, when he said that Nigeria is not ready for GMOs, given the poor health sector and non-effective regulatory system.

While this narrative about TELA Maize and GMOs raged, Nigeria hosted the maiden edition of the International Conference on Biotechnology (ICOB24) from July 15^th to 19^th, 2024 in Abuja.

Although, the conference had a broad theme that focused on how to position Biotechnology, the foundation of genetic modification, as the main driver of Nigeria’s Economic growth, it provided opportunities for all stakeholders to escalate the debate on Genetic Modification, with GMOs in mind.

Most of the sessions put adequate light on some of the contentious aspects of genetic engineering, which is the manipulation of an organism’s genes by introducing, eliminating or rearranging specific genes using the methods of modern molecular biology.

However, concerns were also raised about the danger of allowing unsubstantiated negative narratives about GMOs to linger in the public space.

One of those who raised such concern is the Director, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) Africentre, Dr Margaret Karembu, who said GMOs have been used as a platitude for spreading lies that could destroy science in Africa.

Karembu used the analogy of the 5-minute global travel speed of lies during one of the sessions she participated in to alert on how fast unfounded messages and descriptions of GMOs could fly, and the need for scientists and those with the right knowledge on Biotechnology to swiftly move to take the lead in communicating the facts about the technology and the products.

“It takes only five minutes to create a lie about science and only five seconds to get to travel worldwide,” says Karembu who stressed this point in another session adding that allowing the spread of such fallacies could be disastrous to Africa’s science and technology.

According to her, the lies being circulated about science, especially GMOs is traveling way faster than the facts, a situation she said is reversing Africa’s progress towards becoming food sufficient and the region’s collective ability to utilize technology to transform the livelihood of the people using agriculture as the support base.

“When we allow lies destroy science, it delays decision making process and delays uptake of needed interventions that are dependent on science. This ends up creating distrust about science which is dangerous because science is the only tool that can transform Africa,” Karembu stressed.

Karembu, a Kenyan science educator and communication trainer, may have been proven right to an extent ahead of her participation in ICOB24, as Nigeria’s lower federal legislative arm, the House of Representatives, acting on a petition from the anti-GMOs, through a motion moved by a member of the House from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kwara State, Muktar Shagaya, asked the its Committee on Agricultural Production and Services to conduct an investigation into GMO introduction in Nigeria.

Although, this may have not been a major hindrance to the current progress made by Nigeria in the adoption of modern agricultural biotechnology for improved production outcomes, scientists are concerned that it is a sign that the big fears could be affirmed if urgent steps are not taken.

Executive Director of the Africa Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Dr. Canisius Kanangire, in a conversation with Africasti after one of the events at ICOB24, alluded to karembu’s view point.

He said, “The fact is that people are hungry for information. Unfortunately the public often do not have the capacity to identify the lies from the truth. We need to become aggressive in communicating the facts about science.”

Speaking further, Kanangire said, “There has not been any doubt about the science behind modern agricultural biotechnology and the products like the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are safe. It has also been proven that the technology, when applied rightly, is efficient and can transform the lives of the farmer. Even those being used to oppose GMOs know this. What is, however, needed now is for people to know these facts.

In this guise, he urged scientists and stakeholders in agriculture to make themselves louder in speaking the truth and fact behind genetic, modification, saying this is the only way to build the needed trust among the public.

It is on this premise that Celestine Aguoru, an Environmental Expert and Professor of Plant Biotechnology at the Department of Biological Science, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University (Federal University of Agriculture), Makurdi says the social media campaigns against the development of indigenous competence in genetic engineering must not be allowed to fester.

Aguoru, who is currently leading some projects on ‘Biotechnology, Environmental management, Pollution Control, Biodiversity Protection and conservation, among others stressed during a conversation with Africasti that those behind the campaigns against GMOs introduction in Nigeria and Africa at large are not in doubt about the science behind it.

He said, “The anti-GMOs crusaders know the truth about GMOs. They have no doubt about the science and do know that they are safe. It is just that some of them are opportunists who are taking advantage of the low knowledge of the public on the subject to do the bidding of some international traders who are not happy that Nigeria and Africa as a whole have developed competence that could reduce wastes from money spent on importing foods and chemicals used in the control of pests and addressing other farming challenges.”

Aguoru’s submission rides on available records, which have revealed that Nigeria could cut down over USD 256million spent annually on importation of pesticides to manage Stem borers and fall army worms with the introduction of TELA Maize, a set of high yielding transgenic varieties of maize developed by Nigerian scientists at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State.

TELA Maize is one among various genetically modified crops developed by Nigerian scientists with the support of international agencies like the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) for various purposes, such as improving yield, resistance to pests or diseases, drought tolerance and enhancing nutritional content.

Amid the concerns raised about GMOs, a coalition of Nigeria’s agricultural research bodies comprising of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, which oversees 16 research institutions in the country, National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA), National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), National Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO), and National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) rose to affirm the safety of all the genetically modified crops that have been launched in Nigeria so far.

Speaking during a world press conference by the group to address issues on the safety of GMOs in Nigeria, Director General of Nigeria’s National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Yemisi Asagbara, stressed that there is no cause for alarm.

“The NBMA as Nigeria’s sole authority on biosafety matters, enforces standards, guidelines, and risk assessment procedures for GMOs. Our commitment is rooted in the National Biosafety Management Agency Act and its regulations,” Asagbara said.

She said, “Before granting approvals for any genetically modified organism, NBMA conducts rigorous risk assessments to evaluate potential risks to human health, the environment, and biodiversity.”

According to her, the process is carried out by scientific experts who analyze data, conduct experiments, and assess the safety of the GMO in question.

“The NBMA considers factors such as allergenicity, toxicity, and unintended effects resulting from genetic modifications,” she further disclosed.

Nigeria signed the Biosafety Bill establishing the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), as the sole regulatory authority for modern biotechnology in Nigeria into law in 2015.

Since its establishment, the NBMA has been providing oversight for the practice of modern biotechnology and regulating biotechnology products. This has helped Nigeria to advance agricultural biotechnology as a tool for achieving food security in the country and enhancing the economic values of the crops along the line.

For instance, in 2018, Nigeria officially approved its first biotechnology crop, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton, for commercialization. This was followed by the approval for commercialization of Pod-Borer Resistant (PBR) Cowpea (Beans) in January 2019.

The Bt Cotton, which has also been commercialized, has a yield Advantage of over 4 tonnes per hectare as against the 950kg-1tonne per hectare of conventional varieties.

PBR Cowpea, which is resistant to the pest, Maruca vitrata, has a yield advantage of over 2.9 tonnes per hectare compared to the 350kg per hectare yield of the conventional variety.

In December 2020, Nigeria became the first African country to issue gene editing guidelines and has continued to deliver notable achievements in biotechnology research and development with the strong support of the government.

The progress continued in January this year when the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds/Fisheries (NCNRRCVLF), at its 33rd meeting held at the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) in Ibadan gave approval for the commercial release of TELA maize. The crop was subsequently launched in June, sequel to NBMA’s approval for cultivation.

Although IAR and partners have shared valuable information about the GM crops developed by its scientists with the public, stakeholders, and relevant organizations through press statements and media engagements (some of which Africasti participated in) prior to  their launch, the suspicion about GMOs fueled by the anti-groups remains a huge challenge to conquer.

Dr Rose Gidado, a food scientists and technologists with advanced background in microbiology who is Director, Agricultural Biotechnology at the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) have further clarified the concerns raised in the social media campaigns against GMOs introduction in Nigeria.

She told Africasti that “none of the social media post against TELA Maize and other GMOs introduced in Nigeria were backed with scientific evidence.”

“The anti-GM crusaders have continued to produce videos and social media messages to deliberately manipulate the minds of the unsuspecting public by distorting the facts around genetic modification,” she said.

Gidado, who is coordinator of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Nigeria said the the claim that eating a specially engineered crop could make a population infertile due to genetic targeting is a fallacy and lacks scientific basis.

She urged the public to discountenance the malicious information contained in all the viral videos of the anti-GM crusaders.

She threw an open challenge to the anti-GM crusaders to present any documented cases of diseases linked to GMOs, adding that all published claims on GMOs to this effect cannot be substantiated.

In a response to claims by the anti-GMOs group, HOMEF, Gidado said, “GMOs are not a silver bullet for solving hunger and food insecurity. However, they can be a valuable tool in the broader effort to improve food security, particularly in regions with limited agricultural resources. Studies have shown that GMOs can increase crop yields, improve drought tolerance, and enhance nutritional content.”

She told Africasti that, while HOMEF and co raise important concerns, it’s essential to approach the GMO debate with nuance and evidence-based evaluation.

The recent debate about the safety and relevance of GMOs may have offered Nigerians and Africans the opportunity to build trust in indigenous sciences. However, scientists have unanimously agreed that there is a need for them to engage the farmers, and other stakeholders more than they are currently doing. That way they are able to get useful feedbacks.