Nigerians Fiercely Oppose the Commercial Release of TELA Maize

Civil society groups, researchers and analysts representing millions of Nigerians have asked the National Biosafety Management Agency to revoke permits recently granted for the commercial release of the TELA Maize.

According to the group, the maize variety which has been genetically modified for drought tolerance and insect resistance is a failed and an unwanted venture and it is only being pushed to Nigeria for commercial interest.

In the statement by the group, the Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Nnimmo Bassey described the “Nigerian GMOs promoting set up as a GMOs cult enjoying an alliance with an approving architecture that endorses virtually every application brought to it.”

He further stated that this genetically engineered TELA maize has failed to be as productive as conventionally bred drought tolerant varieties in both the USA and South Africa.

“This TELA maize trial was discontinued and the varieties destroyed in Tanzania in 2018 for failing to confer the promised drought resistance and insect resistance. Regrettably, the giant of Africa has become the giant hole for dumping failed technologies thanks to our permitting regulatory agency. There is no reliable history of safe use of the GM variety to justify its introduction in Nigeria and the claim of drought tolerance and insect resistance remains unsubstantiated. Moreover, routine claims by Nigerian agencies that there are no risks with GM crops are fatuous.”

Mariann Bassey Orovwuje, food sovereignty programme coordinator at Friends of the Earth Nigeria/Environmental Rights Action decried the fact that this TELA maize with events MON 87460 and 89034 will be grown in the same ecological zones that conventional maize is grown, as stated in the application for commercial release.

“This is unacceptable. It will lead to contamination of the conventional maize varieties being grown in the vicinity. Wind dispersal and insect dispersal are potential avenues for contamination” she added.

According to Dr Ifeanyi Casmir, a researcher and Molecular Biologist, the process of approval for this maize variety is flawed as no data on the risk assessment conducted by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) is made available (as at the time of writing this) except that which is provided by the applicant.

This sort of “rubber stamping” lacking in scientific and empirical evidence is unlawful, and amounts to an inhuman biological dumping with incalculable impact on human health and biodiversity.”

A nutritionist and food sovereignty campaigner, Jackie Ikeotuonye explained: “The NBMA has disregarded the socio-economic impacts that may arise as a result of introducing this MON87640 variety to smallholder farmers.

Socio-economic studies conducted on the impacts of GM maize in the Eastern Cape of South Africa demonstrate huge economic risks for smallholder farmers. The studies show that non-GM varieties, including open pollinated varieties (OPVs), outperform GM varieties because these OPVs are better adapted to smallholder farmers’ agro-ecological systems, fluctuations in rainfall and suboptimal storage conditions.

MON 87460 stems from a Monsanto/Gates Foundation project, Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA).

Although the TELA Maize project is updated with the claim of providing the drought and insect resistant traits royalty-free to small-scale farmers in “Sub-Saharan Africa”, Monsanto will still enforce its intellectual property rights (plant variety protection) on the seed against farmers. This has been made certain by the hurriedly passed Plant Variety Protection Bill 2019. Farmers will lose their conventional seed varieties and their seed sovereignty.”

Mr Bassey further stated that genetic modification is a false solution to drought and other environmental stressors. Like for climate change, real solutions should target the problem from the roots.

Our government must urgently support agriculture system based on agro-ecological principles, which take social economic and ecological contexts into account and farmers, not corporate profit, as priorities.

The crops best suited for drought tolerance are the indigenous crops which have been developed overtime and well adapted to the Nigerian environment.

The Deputy Executive Director of Women Environment Programme, John Baaki stressed that for insect resistance there are several simple and effective strategies being used by our farmers including through a combination of Neem plant and chili for use as organic pesticides. These methods can be supported and up-scaled by the government.

The groups demand for an urgent reversal of the permits for the commercial release of the TELA Maize and clamours support for smallholder farmers and agroecological practices that play a crucial role in conserving crop diversity and developing varieties of plants that are adapted to a range of weather conditions, including droughts.

This statement is endorsed by:

1. Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)
2. GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance
3. Women Environmental Programme (WEP)
4. BFA Food and Health Limited
5. Corporate Accountability and Public Participation for Africa (CAPPA)
6. Nigerians Against GMOs
7. Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN)
8. Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre
9. Nigeria Women Farmers Association (NIWAAFA)
10. We the People
11. HipCity Innovation Centre
12. Association of Women Farmers of Nigeria
13. Women and Youth in Agriculture
14. Udama Co-operative Farm
15. Green Alliance Nigeria
16. Women& Children Life Advancement Initiative
17. The Young Environmentalist Network (TYEN)
18. Peace Point Action
19. Social Action
20. Committee on Vital Environmental Resources (COVER)
21. Gender and Environmental Risk Reduction Initiative (GERI)
22. Eco Defenders Network
23. Urban-Rural Environmental Defenders (U-RED)
24. Host Communities Network
25. Youth and Small Holder Farmers(YOSHOFA)
26. Women Environment Programme (WEP)
27. Lekeh Development Foundation (LEDEF)
28. Nigeria Coal Network (NCN)
29. Global Prolife Alliance
30. Neighborhood Environment Watch Foundation
31. Socio Economic Research and Development Centre
32. Community Forest Watch
33. Niger Delta Development Initiative
34. Kallop Humanitarian and Environmental Center
35. Citizens Information and Development Initiative
36. Relief International Africa
37. Social Accountability and Environmental Sustainability Initiative
38. Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
39. Greenleaf Advocacy and Empowerment Center
40. Foundation for the Conservation of the Earth
41. Media Awareness and Justice Initiative
42. WastePlus Environmental Services
43. Visible Charity Global Foundation
44. Ogoni Youths Development Initiative
45. Rivers Indigenous NGOs and Civil Society Network
46. Masses Interest Coalition
47. Rivers Network of NGOs
48. Ofure Centre for Peace and Development
49. Foundation for Conservation of Nigerian Rivers
50. Egbema Voice of Freedom
51. Grass to Amazing Favour Global Foundation
52. Rivers Community Content Initiative
53. Jelu New Breed Foundation
54. Rivers Civil Society Organisations
55. BINEC Herbson Development Foundation
56. Angel Support Foundation (ASF)
57. Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF)
58. Egbema Voice of Freedom
59. BRACED Union, Edo State Chapter
60. Center for Environment, Human Rights and Development(CEHRD)
61. ANPEZ Center for Environment and Development
62. Society for Women and Youth Affairs (SWAYA)
63. Pius Dukor Foundation for Community Development and Advancement
64. Canaan Peace, Women and Community Development Initiative (CAPWOCODI)
65. Kallop Humanitarian and Environmental Center
66. Center for Environment, Media and Development Foundation (CEMEDEC)
67. Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development(FENRAD)
68. Niger Delta Women International Resource, Environment and Development Center (NDWIRED CENTER)
69. Public Enlightenment Projects (PEP)
70. Greenskill Acquisition Centre Ltd
71. Centre for Justice, Empowerment and Development
72. Centre for Rural Emancipation, Economic and Social Development
73. Child and Green Foundation
74. Sunshine Progressive Youth Alliance
75. Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre
76. Rural Health and Women Development
77. League of Queens International Empowerment
78. Alauchi Women Development Initiative
79. Media Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI)
80. Rights advocacy & development center (RADEC)