This Day (Lagos)

Nigeria: ERA Flays Testing of 'Super Cassava'

Lagos — Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and over 30 other civil society groups in Nigeria have condemned the alleged approval by the Federal Government for the Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre, United States, to conduct field-testing of a genetically modified cassava christened "Super Cassava" in Nigeria.

They described the alleged approval as trading away Nigeria's food future to modern colonialists hiding under the cover of agricultural biotechnology, and said the proposed test must be halted immediately.

ERA/FoEN's position is premised on the recently reported approval of the National Biosafety Committee (NBC) for the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike to go ahead with plans to conduct "contained" field trials of genetically-modified cassava on the banks of the Qua Iboe River, Abia State..

Details of the approval was revealed at the annual meeting of the American Society for the Advancement of Science, held in Chicago, U.S.A on February 13, 2009, where it was announced that Nigeria's NBC had given the Danforth Centre approval to carry out field trials for GM cassava in collaboration with NRCRI.

In its reaction to the development, ERA/FoEN warned that the back door approach of the biotech industry and its Nigerian allies to introduce GM crops in the country will not only endanger Nigerians but is also a "breach" of the

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which Nigeria is signatory to, which seeks

among others to protect biological diversity from the potential risks

posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.

"Nigeria does not need any super cassava. The genetic modification of cassava to produce Vitamin A is fraught with many dangers to the health of Nigerians who depend on cassava as a staple. Some years back the biotech industry engineered the so-called golden rice to be rich in Vitamin A, but one would need to eat 9 kilograms of that rice to have as much Vitamin A as one would have from eating just two small carrots! The golden rice was a golden hoax and the super cassava will turn out to be super fraud", said ERA/FoEN

Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey in a statement issued in Lagos.


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Comments 1 to 3 of 3 Post a comment

  • jjcc
    Mar 9 2009, 14:42

    The Oyibo people, ie the Whites would not eat cassava. What they would do is to use it to poison as many black people as possible. They would use it to spread another type of incurable disease just like HIV/AIDS.

    These people are never true friends of Black people. In 20, 30 or 40 years time when Nigerians would be dying of strange ailment no body would suspect them. Our government is supposed to know this people by now. Be ware of these people. Their conspiracy to wipe out the whole of the Black people in Southern Africa with HIV/AIDS has not completely materialised, thank God for that.

    We should learn from that.

  • upliftdarace_144
    Mar 10 2009, 13:44

    Nigeria : Controversy Over Genetically Modified Cassava

    SEEDS OF DECEPTION BY JEFFREY SMITH

    “ A must read for truthseekers. “ [www.seedsofdeception.com]

    And Jesus said another parable to them, saying, “ The kingdom of heaven is like a man which planted good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares (GMO / FAKE) among the wheat (NATURAL), and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said to him, Sir, didn’t you plant good seed in thy field ? Where did these weeds (GMO/ FAKE) come from ? The Householder said to them, An enemy (D-Evil) has done this. The servants said to him, Do you want us to pull up the weeds ? The Householder said, No ; we don’t want to hurt the NATURAL plants by accident. Let the GMO /FAKE & NATURAL grow together until the harvest. And in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather together first the tares (GMO/ FAKE) , and bind them in bundles to burn them (In The Lake Of Fire & Brimstone). Then gather the wheat into my barn. (PARADISE) “ [Matthew 13:24 -30 - Paraphrased]

  • ekpenyongb75088
    Mar 12 2009, 10:28

    The last writer said the Oyibo people meaning White wants to use the cassava to poison the black. That is so funny. How many things have the white done for the black without poisoning us. The only thing is that the black people never have minds of themselves to come up with innovation. Could you think of medicines that the whites have come up with to help us. I welcome the idea an would challlenge the people who do not want this change, to come up with an alternatives. This is a step in the right direction. Right now there is not enough Garri to feed Nigerians simple because this has to be planted and harvested in every nine months. If we can plant and produce it like the other crops would it not be a good thing. It is time people think right and forget about this fear of dying. Let us have a national debate on this issue. If people talk about the environment, they should talk about the oil that we are producing every day. That would kill us but since we get lots of money from that, we may not say anything. I am sure igorant is a sin. I hope to hear from every one on this issue. Thank you