Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Agency faults calls seeking repeal of biosafety Act

By Wole Oyebade (Lagos) and Evelyn Essen (Abuja)
21 July 2016   |   3:21 am
The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has described as “unpatriotic” the calls in some quarters that the National Biosafety Management Agency Act 2015 is repealed.
Dr. Rufus Ebegba

Dr. Rufus Ebegba

The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has described as “unpatriotic” the calls in some quarters that the National Biosafety Management Agency Act 2015 is repealed.

The Director-General of the agency, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, said that the call was only meant to subject Nigeria to unrestricted importation and production of unregulated modern biotechnology products.

Besides, the plot would also render more than 20 indigenous research institutes, universities, agencies and private concerns that have competence in this sector stagnated and redundant.

He noted that the efforts that led to the actualisation of the National Biosafety Management Act were thorough, passing through due process and for the right course.

The act, according to him, predated 2002 and spanned over 14 years to get to its final state of enactment in 2015.

“The then Draft National Biosafety Bill was subjected to various stakeholders’ review within the six geographical zones of Nigeria and was passed by the Sixth and Seventh National Assemblies respectively.

“The Nigeria Biosafety Act has been adjudged by international watchers as one of the best in Africa after having passed through rigorous processes that lasted for more than 14 years.

“It is indeed ridiculous for any group or individual to assert that the Act is not in accordance with the precautionary principles when it is a major legal precautionary instrument in the National Biosafety regulatory system.

“The group’s call for the repeal of an Act that passed through the stringent legislative processes of National Assembly is a discredit to the Nigerian legislature and legal systems,” Ebegba said.

The DG, however, advised that if any individual or group strongly feels that a gap exists in the Act, “such a person or group should be more patriotic to point out the parts or sections for amendment rather than suggesting a legal lacuna that would call for anarchy in the modern biotechnology sector.”

He added that it was important to know that Biosafety pertains to regulation of modern biotechnology and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

Ebegba said that the Federal Government had meticulously put a holistic Biosafety system in place and it would be in the best interest of everyone to trust its good intentions.

“The National Biosafety Management Agency is poised to ensure that only healthy and environmental friendly modern biotechnology products are imported or produced in Nigeria.

“I want to advise that Nigerians should trust and cooperate with the Agency in its efforts to effectively regulate a technology that would assist Federal Government in her diversification policy,” he said.

0 Comments