Series on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Series on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): (1) In defence of, (2) the Case Against, and (3) the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Politics of GMOs

The Background

The need for this modest attempt to inform and educate ‘us’ about GMO is provoked by a status update I came across on June 18, 2014, on Synopsis’ wall. Synopsis (on Facebook) is one of the few groups on social media that serve as teleclassrooms. It is a repository of diverse and ‘intimidating’ intellectuals –young and old. It is a rare privilege for students like me to be part of such intellect-stimulating forum, drinking from the knowledge of the giants.

This status update is made by Sadiq Mohammed, and the words in quote are credited to Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri; one of the numerous opinion pushers in Nigeria blogosphere. For proper understanding of the context, I reproduce the words here:

“Governor Nyako has more important work to do other than throwing darts and accusations about the genocide in the north. Its maniacally bewildering that Governor Nyako has remained silent ever since GMO seedlings were introduced and mass-planted in farmlands across the northern region. These seedlings containing genetically-modified and scientifically altered seeds will yield poisonous crops that will decimate the northern populations even faster than the Boko Haram insurgency (sic). In the next few years, cancerous tumours, organ failures, malignant tissue growths and other incurable diseases will be witnessed at a scale never seen elsewhere, in the north and across Nigeria where these crops will be sold.
ALL western nations have banned GMO seedlings and crops, and it’s a surprise that northern governors have embraced this lethal agricultural “innovation’ without as much as a whimper.

Not even a murmur.

Insurgency has driven many farmers planting natural crops away from their farmlands, while fertilizer is hardly within their reach. Have you wondered why these farmers planting the GMO crops have never been attacked? Northerners and their leaders should search deeper for their true cause of their problems. They seem to be looking at the wrong directions, for now.
We are at a time that everyone wants to be politically correct. I have a solemn duty to tell this truth. Thank me later…”

Reading this update, even at its first instance, I knew all is not well with its claim. I could unequivocally see: (1) proof-bereft proposition (GMO seedling…will yield poisonous crops), (2) unconditional and hasty conclusion (decimate the northern populations… cancerous tumours, organ failures, malignant tissue growths) and (3) fallacy of hasty generalization (ALL western nations have banned GMO seedlings). 

Without any heuristics knowledge, I remembered vividly, my experience during an academic visit –in company of my colleagues and high school students – to International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, in late 2010.  We were made to know, and we were shown these genetically modified orange and palm trees, cultivated so as to fasten its harvest period. We were all wowed, not only because many of us were just seeing such pretty cultivation of palm and orange trees, but also for its business and investment sense. Again, in Malaysia, I later found out that many of the species of the oranges available for consumption here has no seed (lings) whatsoever. My curiosity found that we are consuming genetically modified oranges.

So, reading Victoria’s proposition, I was imagining in my wildest dream, the number of people that have consumed these poisonous crops, the ready to be decimated statistics, and the victims (or to-be) of organ failure. Even, if I am not absolutely certain of Nigeria’s sensitivity to her citizens’ health, I am cock-sure Malaysia will never toe such path of ignominy. The statement that ALL western nations have banned GMOs is a naked error. Even when one is not conversant with world geography, it is in public knowledge that United States of America (USA) is a leading figure in the promotion of this biotech practice. One will have to wonder if USA is unqualified to be part of Victoria’s geographical characterization of western nations!

However, this is not to absorb the possibility that such scientific cultivation will not be totally free from bad effect, but rather to observe that there is much ignorance (than knowledge) about the GMOs: the varieties for classification that will properly unveil the extremely hazardous ones, the actual quantification of its hazard, and what have you. It is against this backdrop that I decided to do some ‘clicking’ (apologies to Pius Adesanmi), and contact a friend who is a biotechnologist. 

These taken steps led me to some findings, and the piece peened by my friend with others found on the internet resulted in three phases of treatises that I will be publishing on my blog about GMOs. The first will be its defence, the second, a case against it, and the third, the WTO’s case and politics of GMO. I have endeavoured to ensure that each of these treatises presents a scintillating representation of ideas about each of the subject matter, at least for the purpose of education so as to power a knowledge-based decision of the side each and every one of us finally pitch our tent with.

Read: In Defense of GMOs, by AbdulKareem Musa Alaba