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Sometime ago, I wrote in this column on the above topic. Following the Justice Adebayo Oyebanji’s judgment in the case of Fijabi V. Nigeria Bottling Company and NAFDAC; I recall this document to re-ignite a conversation on how we ironically kill ourselves through the things that should keep us alive such as food and medicine. The facts of the case will be discussed more copiously next week but suffice to state that the court has ruled that the Nigeria Bottling Company ought to produce softdrinks that are fit for human consumption irrespective of colourcreed; how and why it said so? Keep your fingers crossed until next week. In the mean time, read this up and let’s get on with the conversation from here. Have a terrific week!
My grandmother (bless her departed soul) believed in the power of food and how it could solve all problems. And no, she was not a glutton or anything of the sort but her one sure fire bet strategy for addressing all problems was to give food. If a child cried, she would ask that the child be fed. If people were angry, her first check was whether they had eaten. When the barns were depleting, she put in more food. She wouldn’t visit anyone in the city without some food supplies; it didn’t matter if you were rich enough to not need the food or too poor to eat, you still had her food package as bonus. Perhaps,what would make her memory indelible to the people in my village was how she networked with strangers using…you guessed it, food.
If a stranger or passersby got to my village, she would request that you come to our family compound.Her entreaties would embarrass you until you gave in to her request.Most times she had food and kunu to offer but when she didn’t, the stranger would be ushered to her most comfortable spot (as she imagined it), then she would go round neighbouring houses and say “eiyaaa, nyinbuwardzhirazhwa? Yi duwoknajiem a shakghibuwarmami in mi” (Please do you have any kunu there? We have a visitor in our village, give me some kunu to give him).
She stands out as my prime ambassador of human rights to food by her unwritten philosophy of “Everyone deserves to eat.” But I didn’t set out today to just tell you the story of my grandma except because I believe that her thoughts are relevant to us in atleast two prime respects: Everyone has the Right to Food, and second- Africa and especially Nigeria faces a real danger when it opens its doors to Genetically Modified Foods. I’ll take the second issue and put it first.
Genetically Modified organisms (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using geneticengineering techniques. It refers to a plant, animal, or microorganism that has been genetically changed in a lab. About 80percent of processed foods in the United Statesare genetically modified.While these may cause plants to grow quicker and be more disease resistant due to the use of glyphosate, the dangers are that it alters the nutrient component of foods and introduce very harmful substances to food which causes congestion in the lungs, increased breathing rate, kidney damage and reproductive issues. It is also being monitored for its transfer of carcinogenic substances.Aware of these dangers and determined to protect their citizens from it, 64 countries around the world including Australia, Japan, China and all the countries in the European Union have strict restrictions and outright bans against GMOs.
GMOs is the brain child of a company called Monsanto. The company is reputed to have developed Agent Orange back in the 60s which was found to be linked to cancer and child defects. Talk about Agriculture terrorism and man’s inhumanity to man! Unfortunately,and despite these facts being in the public domain, The Nigerian Government has approved the use of genetically modified cotton and maize.Nigeria’s National Biosafety Management Agency issued two permits to Monsanto Agriculture Nigeria Limited for the commercial release and placing on market GMO seeds.Over 100 groups of farmers,faith based organizations,civil society groups,students and local farmers protested to the introduction of GMO in Nigeria but government turned deaf ears and muzzled their way into allowing GMOs in the Nigerian agricultural space.
The Director General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Mr. Rufus Edegba had initially said they were carrying out a survey only to grant the permit against the wishes of the Nigerian people.It is difficult to understand how critical decisions on the health and safety of lives can be blundered by brazen State committals and neglect.It is simply unacceptable that the safety and wellbeing of Nigerian citizens can be put on the line in this manner. One can only hope that coalitions would keep up the fight to deport GMOs to the place it came from even if that would mean seeking legal intervention from the courts on this matter.
Turning to the right to food: the right which houses the twin rights to be free from hunger and the right to get adequate food; are recognized under international conventions and treaties especially the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.The right to food is realized when every man, woman and child, alone or in community with others, has physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or means for its procurement.
The committee indicates that six points should be fulfilled to realize the right:first,food should be available and there should be physical and economic accessibility: second,the food should be of sufficient quality and quantity to satisfy the dietary needs of an individual:three, the food should be healthy being free from adverse substances; four, the food should be acceptable to the culture to which the individual belongs:five, the enjoyment of the right should not adversely affect other rights: and finally, the food availability should be sustained at all times.
To put it succinctly, the right to food is …the right to have regular,permanent and free access,either directly or by means of financial purchases and to quantitatively and qualitatively have access to adequate and sufficient food corresponding to the cultural traditions of the people to which the consumer belongs,and which ensures a physical and mental,individual and collective,fulfilling and dignified life free of fear.
A cursory look at this provision would reveal that Nigeria is far from compliance to the provision of this law.The right to food is not clearly defined as a mandatory duty of government even though it is incorporated under the corpus of chapter two of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). Consequently, many people in our country go days on end without food.
There is a more urgent call for intervention especially in this year of 2016.Fertilizer is too expensive and out of the reach of the farmer. There are fears that insurgents may use fertilizer to make bombs. Fertilizer outlets have been trimmed down to very few. The price has hiked up to about N8,000 (eight thousand naira) per bag in the market. Farmers have not been educated of alternative organic fertilizers they can produce at their backyards. People around the middle belt, which is the food basket of the nation, are afraid to go to farm due to fear of being attacked by Fulani militia. When we put the odds together, we have myriads but not insurmountable challenges to conquer in the Agriculture space.
Let’s move to how we can solve these challenges: First, genetically modified seeds should betotally shipped off our shores and the space be cleaned up as quick as possible.This is an emergency because typically, we don’t deal well with addressing our bad choice consequences neither would we be able to contain the damage of GMOs if we go further down the red line where we now stand.It bears mention again: Take out Mosanto’s GMO and free Nigerians from the coming danger just like 64 wise countries have already done.
Next, we need to give food to those in internally displaced camps and those who live on the fringe of our society. There is no scientific method to this one except to say that when trucks leave stations for IDP camps, politicians, government workers and their ilk should not intercept them, steal or sell them to make money while fellow Nigerians starve of hunger-it’s bad.It’s in poor taste and simply inhuman.
Third, and this is urgent for the purpose of avoiding food shortage: the price of fertilizer should be subsidized. Fertilizer distribution outlets should be increased and research institutes should be mandated by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to teach farmers how to make organic fertilizers which are infact better and less expensive than NPK, Urea etc.
Fourth, be like my grandma. Share your food with the hungry neighbor, teach your children to share their lunch pack with the hungry children in school.Do not throw away food when many are dying for lack of it then everyone would have food.
