Stories by Etta Michael Bisong
Abuja
Stakeholders including scientists, farmers, consumers as well as business leaders have unanimously challenged the Federal Government to explore the potentials offered by modern biotechnology to address issues of food security, poverty reduction, and research as well as foster economic diversification in the country.
Throwing the challenge recently during an inter-agency meeting organised by Nigeria’s chapter of the Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Abuja, the stakeholders anchored their demand on the immense and visible benefits derivable from this technology, which are globally acknowledged and are as varied as the vast scope of the technology itself dating back to the first, second and third generation versions.
Nigeria, according to Director General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Professor Lucy Ogbadu, in recognition of these benefits quickly embraced biotechnology by producing a well-developed, robust and all-inclusive policy to oversee its implementation.
Prof. Ogbadu added that the passage of the National Biosafety Management Act into law is a monumental delight and further indication that demonstrate Nigeria’s commitment to evolve through every ramification of biotechnology advancement.
The DG hinted that by having a Biosafety law in place, Nigeria has commenced a “silent revolution” towards consolidating the diversification of economy from oil revenue to a more sustainable revenue generation from massive food/cash crops activities supported by modern agricultural biotechnology. It will also enable a country like Nigeria that is a net importer of major food items, move to becoming an exporter of agricultural produce.
“Successful operation of a Biosafety law in the country ensures that Nigeria’s well over 70 million farmers will begin to reap the significant benefits of modern agricultural biotechnology similar to economic transformations currently experienced in Brazil, India, Burkina Faso, Egypt and South Africa that have all adopted this modern approach to boost their food and cash crop production activities,” she said.
The Act, as described by the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Sir Refus Ebegba, is the only “safe valve” in the adoption of modern biotechnology deployment and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for Nigeria’s national economic development.
The agency’s helmsman decried that the absence of a Biosafety law in the past tremendously hampered proper research and development in modern biotechnology in Nigeria, which the establishment of the Act has corrected by ensuring that institutions carry out their statutory functions under a legal biosafety regime.
The NBMA, according to him, has the capacity to enforce Biosafety in a transparent manner, so that the nation can benefit from modern biotechnology maximally without compromising safety to the environment and human health.
“The public should trust the Agency’s decisions and avoid being misled by unscientific information and acts capable of causing misinformation, public distrust and panic,” Sir Ebegba said.