GMO, Seed System, and Food Security Question in Nigeria
GMO, Seed System, and Food Security Question in Nigeria By Prof MK Othman I have received many requests for information on GMO seeds and their safety, and I have watched several video clips that criticize GMOs with serious accusations. I decided to update my previous articles on GMOs and food security. Over the past seven years, I have written multiple articles on this subject, and this will be the fifth in a series about GMOs, covering their origins, threats, biosafety, and the launch of Tela maize and Pod Bora cowpea, the first GMOs in Nigeria. The goal of this article is not to promote or discredit GMOs but to present facts about the Nigerian seed system, including GMOs, challenges, and the way forward. What is GMO? A Genetically Modified Organism is a byproduct of biotechnology. In medicine, biotechnology has existed for many centuries as a source of innovation. Hitherto, biotechnology was a non-issue or, like any other technological breakthrough, until it...