By Lorraine Chow – EcoWatch, 16 June 2016

btcotton
Monsanto has received permits from Nigeria’s biotechnology regulatory body for its Bt cotton and GMO maize. Photo credit: Flickr

Source: http://ecowatch.com/2016/06/16/monsanto-gmo-permits-nigeria/

According to the Premium Times, this comes despite assurances from Minister of State for Environment Ibrahim Jibril that “Nigeria would not mortgage the safety of its citizens by introducing unproven products into the country.”

The move has sparked widespread condemnation from 100 organizations representing more than 5 million Nigerians, including farmers, faith-based organizations, civil society groups, students and local community groups.

The coalition has previously expressed concerns about the human health and environmental risks of genetically altered crops. They noted that Monsanto’s genetically enhanced crops are designed to tolerate the use of the herbicide glyphosate which was declared as a possible carcinogen by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in March 2015.

“This is extremely shocking,” Nnimmo Bassey, the director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, said in response to the development. “Little wonder officials of NBMA, National Biotech Development Agency (NABDA) and their pro-GMO train have been fighting tooth and nail to fool Nigerians by claiming that GMOs are safe! They approved the poorly concocted applications and issued these permits on a Sunday when government offices do not open. In fact, 2nd May was also a public holiday.”

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NEWS TAG: NIGERIA