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Need For Organic Delicacy Consumption Takes Centre Stage As HOMEF Holds Food Festival

Published

11 months ago

June 15, 2023

Joseph Ebi Kanjo, Benin

The need for Nigerians and Africans at large to go back to their locally made farm produce was, on Wednesday, brought to the fore at a National Convergence and Food Festival organised by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), a non-profit organisation.

The festival which held in Benin was aimed at promoting and celebrating locally made food, cultural diversity, rich biodiversity and to expose the dangers inherent in the consumption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) foods.

Panel of discussants at the food exhibition emphasised the need for Africans to embrace organic farm produce, warning that the prevalent of terminal diseases in the society today is as a result of individual’s lifestyle in consumption of food.

The panelists, comprising Lovelyn Ejim, a farmer and founder, Network of Women and Youth in Agriculture; Jackie Ikeotuonye, a nutritionist and medical practitioner; Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, an environmental, human and food rights advocate; Tatfeng Mirabeau, a Professor, Medical Microbiology, said many persons have taken poison without knowing in the name of taking fast food.

The experts who exposed damage consumption of GMO foods caused to the body system, lamented that companies in charge of these GMOs are not interested in the wellbeing of people, rather, profit they make from their businesses.

Urging everyone to join in the campaign against GMOs and by embracing organic farm produce, the panelists vowed not to stop until GMOs are finally exposed and rejected by the people.

While accusing governmemt regulatory agencies in protecting GMOs, by allowing them to carry out their businesses without hindrance, the panel of discussants urged Nigerians to take the necessary steps in avoiding GMO foods.

Corroborating the panelists’ ponts, Nnimmo Bassey, Director, HOMEF, said government has not been giving the necessary support to local farmers hence the boom in GMOs.

“Most of our local farmers do not get any support in their production; no road to the farms where they bring their produce to the market. And so, farmers are struggling on their own without serious support from government.

“There are no even extension officers unlike before that government used to have them,” he lamented.

Bassey continued: “But we believe that by speaking to ourselves; by farmers speaking to their neighbours, and neighbours speaking to others, we will get it right.

The Director who expressed worry over what he termed “Nigerians are forced to eat what they don’t know” through activities of GMOs, further said: “Our farmers are given seeds that are genetically modified, so people are planting what they don’t know; they are eating what they don’t know.

“We believe that the heath of Nigerians shouldn’t be compromised this way.

” Unfortunately, we are also compromising the heath of our environment, and at the end of the day Nigerians are exposed to the erosion of our culture, of our biodiversity and indeed our heritage,” he added.

Speaking on the reason for the food festival, Bassey said: “This why today we say we should promote the fact that the food we eat is central to our health, and to everything around us, and that Africa food is what Africans should promote, not artificial crops; not genetically modified crops or animals.

He added: “Our eating culture has been challenged over recent years mostly because of the introduction of more or less unregulated genetically engineered organism into our country.”

Veriaties of local foods from different states of Nigeria were prepared and displayed at the festival.

News

Bauchi Commissioner Gifts 3 Students Cash For Prompt Resumption, Ability To Read

Published

3 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

The Bauchi state Commissioner for Education, Dr Jamila Dahiru, on Thursday, gave a cash gift of N5,000 each to three Senior Secondary II students of Government Science Secondary School, Misau for their determination to succeed in Education.

Two of the students, Adamu Adamu, Mustapha and Haruna impressed the commissioner for their presence in school in the first day of resumption while Abdullahi Musa marvelled her for his reading ability and comprehension.

According to the commissioner, the gesture was to appreciate their determination to learn as well and motivate other students to emulate them.

While paying a courtesy visit to the Emir of Misau, Alh. Ahmed Sulaiman, the commissioner disclosed that the Bauchi State government was working with stakeholders from the Misau Emirate to fine-tune modalities of temporarily accommodating the students of Federal Science Technical College, Misau at its Science Secondary School Misau.

She said the college made the request in a letter to the ministry stating that the facility given to them could no longer accommodate their students population, hence the resolve to convene the stakeholders meeting to fine-tune ways of sharing the facility for the betterment of the state.

She disclosed that government science secondary school Misau, one of the best in the state in terms of befitting facilities has the capacity to accommodate up to five thousand students, but currently houses about three hundred students.

She appreciated the Emir for his continued support to programmes and policies of the government with more emphasis on the education sector.

Speaking on behalf of the Emir and other stakeholders, a retired Director with the Ministry, Muhammad Musa, expressed gratitude to the Commissioner for the honour and promised to assemble critical stakeholders from the emirate so as to arrive at an acceptable decision for the benefit of all and sundry.

News

NDIC Obtains Order To Wind Down 96 Microfinance, Mortgage Banks

Published

3 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation has said that it has obtained Winding up Orders for 96 out of 183 microfinance and primary mortgage banks whose licenses were revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria in May 2023.

The Managing Director, NDIC, Bello Hassa, revealed this at a sensitisation seminar for Judges of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday organised by the NDIC, to enlighten the judiciary on the intricacies of the banking industry.

Hassan said, “As at date, the Corporation had obtained Winding up Orders for 96 out of 183 Micro Finance and Primary Mortgage Banks whose licenses were revoked by the CBN in May 2023, in less than one Year of revocation.”

He added that the NDIC was committed to fulfilling its mandate of protecting depositors through bank supervision, failure resolution and liquidation so as to boost confidence in the financial system.

Speaking on the role that the judiciary plays in the fulfillment of the mandate, Hassan said, “We recognise the judiciary as one of our critical stakeholders. With this, when cases are brought before them, they can receive accelerated hearing and proclamation of Justice.”

Citing some of the achievements from previous editions of the seminar, Hassan said that instances where liquidation-related litigations experienced delays were reduced.

News

JUST IN: 36 Speakers Back State Police

Published

5 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

Speakers of the 36 Houses of Assembly in Nigeria on Thursday expressed support for the National Assembly’s ongoing efforts to alter the 1999 constitution to create state policing in the country.

The Speakers made their resolution known at the end of their meeting in Abuja.

The Senate and House of Representatives are currently working to amend various constitutional provisions, including those regarding state police, financial autonomy for local government, fiscal federalism, and mayoral status for the FCT.

Details shortly…