The Catholic Medical Association of Nigeria (CMAN), Imo State chapter, has reiterated its stand against the proposed Act to Regulate Activities in Genetically Modified Organisms, by urging President Goodluck Jonathan not to sign the Bill into law.
The practitioners’ stand was contained in a statement signed by Dr. Philip Njemanze, the Chairman of CMAN.
The association said that such a law could destroy the lives of Nigerians. The Bill, sponsored by Sen. Grace Bent (Adamawa South), has been approved by both chambers of the National Assembly.
The association alleged that the Bill, which was “anti-Nigerian”, was also serving some foreign interests.
It stressed that the Bill had some hidden agenda, which included the use of human ovarian eggs obtained through in-vitro fertilisation for embryonic stem cell research.
The association noted that the Bill, which referred to only living organisms, did not exclude human cells.
“The Bill applies to humans as well as plants and animals. It permits genetically modified organisms formed from human embryos to be used as GMOs,” the statement read.
“This will allow Western biotechnology firms to use Nigerians as guinea pigs for embryonic stem cell research.
“The other goal is to introduce an absolute monopoly of food production in Nigeria via the sole ownership of patented GMO food products by a foreign company.
“This will permit the company to dictate prices as well as introduce genes for control of fertility to cause programmed famine.”
According to them, since GMO crops are mono-crops that take out specific nutrients, Nigerian soil will become deficient in these nutrients and this will endanger the growth of other non-GMO crops.
CMAN advised the Federal Government not to allow the introduction of GMO products into the country, saying that uncertainties about their benefits led to their rejection in Europe.
The association said that the Bill?s failure to designate any scientific or health institution, university department or biotechnology laboratory in Nigeria to be involved in the testing and approval processes as well as certification of bio-safety standards for GMOs was a defect.
It noted that Section 17 (1) and (2) of the Bill allowed importation of GMOs, while the Bill demanded only their proper labelling in Schedules (III) and (IV).
CMAN, therefore, noted that the development meant that any experimental product which was rejected in other parts of the world could be imported into Nigeria for field trials.
It also noted that Section 19 (1) of the Bill allowed Nigeria to become a hub for trafficking in GMO products if the products were properly packaged.
The association said that this could result in the genetic variant of narcotic agents like marijuana and cocaine being altered, with a physical change of the plants while their narcotic contents were retained.
Besides, CMAN said, Section 20 of the Bill allowed the export of GMOs, including altered human embryos obtained via in-vitro fertilisation, from Nigeria.
It said that other risks associated with the Bill included confidentiality of information which would be crucial in determining if the GMO was the cause of an ailment and the possible ways of treating such an ailment.
It, therefore, said that this contradicted the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
The association also noted that Section 30 of the Bill empowered relevant authorities to approve GMOs without awaiting detailed scientific information.
“This would mean that many innocent Nigerians who use the product could die or be harmed, and if such developments occur, the product would then be put off the market,” they explained.
“There are no sections of the Bill that prescribe remediation and compensation to victims.?
