HOMEF, medical practitioners raise the alarm on dangers of GMO crops, urge ban

Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Dr. Nnimmo Bassey and some medical practitioners have expressed grave concern on the dangers associated with the consumption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) food, saying it’s unfit for healthy living.

Bassey said it is worth noting that Nigeria bases its scientific opinion of GMO safety on the information given to it by the same companies trying to sell these products as opposed to independent study.

The environmentalist, who spoke on the health and environmental implications of GMO crops during a dialogue with medical practitioners on GMOs organised by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) with the theme, “The state of Biosafety”, said the issues of GMOs had been a very contentious issue across the globe.

He, however, called on the National Assembly to out-rightly ban GMO foods in the country, as well as stop field trials, commercial release and trans-border movement of GMOs.

The environmentalist, who further decried the negative environmental and health effect in the consumption of GMOs, particularly in Africa, noted that the results of tests on animals exposed to GMO crops give serious health and economic concerns.He described GMO as an organism created in a laboratory by taking genes from one species and forcing them into an entirely unrelated species, in order to achieve a new trait or characteristic that is not possible in nature.

However, some medical experts, who frowned at the influx of GMO foods in the country and the dangers they pose to human health, urged the Federal Government to ensure food security for all by embarking on enlightenment campaigns to create awareness on the health implications of the crops.