Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called on the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to scrap the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) instead of merging it with the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NCGRAB), saying the merging would portend danger.
HOMEF in a statement by its Media/Communications Lead, Kome Odhomor, recently in Abuja also highlighted concerns about conflicting roles of the agencies.
FEC, in order to enhance efficiency in the federal service, and reduce the cost of governance, decided to implement the recommendations of the Steve Oronsaye panel on the restructuring and rationalisation of federal agencies, parastatals and commissions. The implementation involves merging, subsuming and scrapping agencies with similar functions.
HOMEF, applauds the government effort at restructuring and rationalisation of federal agencies and others which will address the long standing issues of regulatory overlaps and foster implementation and accountability.
However, HOMEF notes that the functions of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) and the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology do not overlap. It draw attention to the mandates of each agencies.
Furthermore, the NACGRAB’s website states: “The Centre, backed by Decree 33 of 1987 regulates the seed, livestock and fisheries industries through its Varietal Release Committees.”
HOMEF Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey, said NACGRAB has a robust and distinctive role to regulate the seed, livestock and fisheries industries. This means a clear conflict of mandates with NABDA.
“Also, the NACGRAB coordinates the activities of the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breed and Fisheries.
How then would the proposed NBRDA for example, ensure the development of new varieties of crops through genetic manipulation (part of NABDA’s role) and approve same for commercial release (as NACGRAB)?”
He insisted that NABDA is one agency that should be scrapped.
“Where a merger is required, it is important for the operational details of the new agencies to be clarified and made public”, he added.
HOMEF’s Director of Programmes Joyce Brown noted that although both agencies have a research mandate, the focus of research is different.
“Better still, the NBMA can become a unit under the NACGRAB which would ensure institutional support and oversight for the NBMA to address the current lax biosafety regulatory system.
“However, within the NACGRAB, there needs to be a clarification of mandate – It is ironical that a center that prides itself in its commitment to the conservation of the rich Genetic Resources of the nation is the same in charge of approving the release of genetically modified varieties which threaten this very mandate” Brown added.
Food Sovereignty Activist and Deputy Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, noted that the proposed merger is rife with conflict and sets the stage for NABDA to swallow up whatever little traces or semblance of regulation of its activities that remains.
Already, NABDA ‘the regulated’ acts more or less like ‘the regulator’ and exerts its influence. If this merger pulls through, we can as well say goodbye to any form of GM regulation in Nigeria, which will be a recipe for disaster.
