HOMEF, scientists call for repeal of National Biosafety Act

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA- THE Health for Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, and some scientists have called on the Buhari-led government to repeal the National Biosafety Act.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Director, HOMEF, Rev Nnimmo Bassey, Convener of Nigerians against GMOs, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Food Sovereignty Programme, Friends of the Earth Nigeria/Africa, Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, and African Health Magazine, Dr. Ifeyinwa Aniebo, at a media training organised to create more awareness over the controversies surrounding the acceptance of Genetically Modified Organisms, GMOs, in Nigeria.

According to the statement the National Biosafety Management Agency Act 2015, which was eventually signed by former President Goodluck Jonathan, was trailed by unresolved controversies and complaints from key stakeholders including farmers, consumers and civil society groups.

Also the statement titled ‘We Demand the Protection of Our Food and Environment- Revocation of Monsanto’s GMO Permits and Repeal of the National Biosafety Management Agency Act 2015’, pointed out some loopholes, which it described as unacceptable.

The statement reads in part, “The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Act, 2015, was signed into law in the dying days of the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“In spite of the far-reaching importance of biosafety matters to citizens of Nigeria, the process that led to the passage of the Biosafety Bill and its eventual signing into law was trailed by unresolved controversies and complaints from key stakeholders including farmers, consumers and civil society groups.

“Besides the lack of elegance in the drafting of the law, some provisions do not make sense at all and in some places, references are made to incorrect sections or to nonexistent sections.

“We believe the Act requires to be repealed or at a minimum have a thorough reworking, particularly with regard to the following; Access to information; Public consultation and participation, Liability and redress, Labelling and the right to know, Decision-making, Appeals and reviews, Conflict of interest: The Composition of the Governing Board is arbitrary and populated with GMOs promoters, and the Precautionary Principle.

“In this era of change we cannot cling to wrong-headed policies or cling to the wrong foot put forward by the previous government. Having a biotech policy cannot be a justification for opening up the nation’s fragile ecosystems and environment to genetically modified organisms. A biotech policy cannot erase the globally accepted Precautionary Principle on which Biosafety regulations hang. We demand that these permits be overturned and the Biosafety law itself repealed and replaced with a people/environmentally sensitive and friendly law.

According to the statement conflict of interest was inbuilt in the NBMA Act and raises acute red flags about the administration of biosafety in Nigeria, which it also alleged that two of the permits issued by NBMA to Monsanto Agriculture Nigeria Limited (the confined field trial of two maize varieties) were applied for by the company in partnership with one of the members of the NBMA board, the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA).

“With a GMO promoter applying for a permit in partnership with a biotech company, and sitting to approve the same permit, there are obvious reasons to call the entire transaction to question.

“The NBMA Act gives the agency enormous amounts of discretionary powers with not enough mandatory duties in the operational provisions to ensure that the agency performs a stewardship role to ensure that GMOs do not pose harm to human and animal health, society and the environment”, it added.

 

The post HOMEF, scientists call for repeal of National Biosafety Act appeared first on Vanguard News.