BREAKING: The Hybrid Tela Maize manifesto: We say No To GMOs
Sinach
Published Date:
Jun 28, 2024
Last Updated:
The Hybrid Tela Maize manifesto: No To GMOs
To the federal government Nigeria:
To the people of Nigeria:
We have analyzed almost two decades of experience with GMO maize crops in other countries and there is not a single technological, economic or ethical reason in benefit of the Nigerian populace nor of the majority of rural farmers, that justifies the imminent authorization of commercial planting of Bill Gates sponsored Tela maize GMO in Nigeria. Yet there are at least 30 billion seedlings being planned by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration to distribute to our peasant farmers. Rather, the proposed coomercial liberation of GMO maize presents immense dangers to human health, biodiversity, culture and to our national sovereignty.
The Gate's foundation funded transnational corporation is shamelessly looking to increase their profits through the pillage of our natural resources, even at the cost of peoples’ health, aided by official corruption and criminal acts, and this is particularly true for the companies dedicated to the production and industrialization of food.
The degree to which the federal government of Nigeria, in the hands of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, working alongside the multinational companies that have been taking over the agro-food production in Nigeria, trampled over the interests of consumers in the urban and the rural areas, and peasants and small producers in the rural areas, was unexpected, and put the agro-genetic heritage of our country at risk.
Despite popular demands to respect the precautionary principle and despite calls to protect biodiversity made by scientists, academics, and civil and social organizations, during the past years both in Nigeria and other countries, the federal government, – gave permits for the first open-field GMO maize plantings, without taking into account that Nigeria is the key center of origin for this basic food crop necessary to feed our country and the world as we remain the giants of Africa.
To the federal government Nigeria:
To the people of Nigeria:
We have analyzed almost two decades of experience with GMO maize crops in other countries and there is not a single technological, economic or ethical reason in benefit of the Nigerian populace nor of the majority of rural farmers, that justifies the imminent authorization of commercial planting of Bill Gates sponsored Tela maize GMO in Nigeria. Yet there are at least 30 billion seedlings being planned by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration to distribute to our peasant farmers. Rather, the proposed coomercial liberation of GMO maize presents immense dangers to human health, biodiversity, culture and to our national sovereignty.
The Gate's foundation funded transnational corporation is shamelessly looking to increase their profits through the pillage of our natural resources, even at the cost of peoples’ health, aided by official corruption and criminal acts, and this is particularly true for the companies dedicated to the production and industrialization of food.
The degree to which the federal government of Nigeria, in the hands of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, working alongside the multinational companies that have been taking over the agro-food production in Nigeria, trampled over the interests of consumers in the urban and the rural areas, and peasants and small producers in the rural areas, was unexpected, and put the agro-genetic heritage of our country at risk.
Despite popular demands to respect the precautionary principle and despite calls to protect biodiversity made by scientists, academics, and civil and social organizations, during the past years both in Nigeria and other countries, the federal government, – gave permits for the first open-field GMO maize plantings, without taking into account that Nigeria is the key center of origin for this basic food crop necessary to feed our country and the world as we remain the giants of Africa.
We must protect our farmland and maintain our natural plants in Nigeria.
About the Author
Sinach
A les Avocat, living with the It Begins With Me Mantra and determined to dot all i's and cross all t's for a better Nigeria.
