Celebrated activist Nnimmo Bassey and political candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour were profiled as part of a US government-funded campaign to undermine global critics of pesticides and GMOs.
byAbdulkareem Mojeed,Elena DeBreand1 others
Reading Time: 10 mins read
Abdulkareem Mojeed, Elena DeBre and Margot Gibbs
In Nigeria, the question of what role, if any, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and heavy pesticide usage should play in helping to address food security and climatic challenges has been a focal point of debate, following the recent commercialisation of four GM seeds by the government. Yet, Nigeria remains one of the top importers of pesticides in Africa and has become a leader in GMO crop approvals on the continent.
A new investigation led by the PREMIUM TIMES with Lighthouse Reports and other media partners reveals how the US government has been working behind the scenes to facilitate GMO crop approvals and downplay the dangers of pesticides in Nigeria.
Through reviewing government contracts, funding documents, and interviews of dozens of sources, this investigation reveals that the US government has been financing a public relations operation that discredited environmentalists who raised concerns about GM and pesticide risks around the world, including several prominent environmentalists in Nigeria.
The United Stateâs development arm, USAID, denies directing funds to campaigns on pesticide regulations and said that its GM programme, âpromotes functional regulatory systems, but does not endorse regulatory decisions regarding specific products.â
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