NASC staff trained on GMONASC staff trained on GMO seed detection seed detection

Stories by John Oba
Abuja

The Nigeria Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) has commenced the training of the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) scientists on the detection of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) seeds.
Declaring the training open at NABDA centre recently in Abuja, the director General, NASC, Dr, Philip Ojo who was represented by the director Seed Coordination, Mr. Joseph Omole, said the mandate of the Council is to ensure truthful labelling hence the need to be empowered to be able to differential between GMO and non GMO seed.

“Biotech is a product of new innovation and advancement in agricultural science. Our mandate in the Seed Council is to ensure truthful labelling hence differential between GMO and nor GMO seed. This is a preliminary training for further oversea trainings,” he said.
The Director General, NABDA, Prof. Lucy Ogbadu, said the importance of the training cannot be over emphasized since the Council is in the best position to alleviate the fear of the public of the truth behind GMO seed.

She said: “Of recent, we have heard in the news, print and electronic media, outcry over GMOs. Some people say it caused cancer, other said it is dangerous but we as scientists are open minded. Scientists work on empirical evident.
“Our work is experimental, we experiment and wait for observation and make our observation on what we see we don’t talk anyhow, we talk based on facts that are available to us. So it is my prayer today that you will leave here better equipped with answers to some of these questions.

“I want you to open you mind to the science you have come to do. You are to be trained on how to detect GMOs, I want to tell you that from the beginning, there is no where you can identify GMO from the one that is not GMO with bear eyes even with microscope that is to show that they don’t look any different,” she said.

She said Nigeria has the capacity to develop GMOs without relying on international Organisation, saying the country has capable experts in the field of science that can favourably compete with any nation in the world on GMOs. Adding that the agency have the biotechnological competency and techniques to develop or differentiate GMOs.

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