Nigeria establishes biosafety lab for GMOs

The Federal Government has issued a December 30, 2015 deadline for operators dealing in modern biotechnology activities and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to formalize their dealings with the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA).

NBMA, which gave the directive on Tuesday, observed that such had become necessary as part of efforts to ensure a strict regulatory environment and adequate biosafety.

Managing Director of the Agency, Mr. Rufus Ebegba, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja, spoke of consequences for default.

He said: “The Agency does not doubt the existence of GMOs suspects in Nigeria, since Nigeria imports food products from countries where GMOs are being produced and consumed. 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. The Agency would partner with all relevant sister agencies the discharge of its functions.

“Nigeria mid this year joined the league of African states with national biosafety laws and biosafety, leading to the establishment of NBMA. Other African countries with biosafety laws include South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Sudan, Mali, Cameroun, and Tanzania.”

He stressed: “The NBMA has the capacity to give Nigeria the desired holistic biosafety in a transparent manner, so that the national can benefit from modern biotechnology maximally without compromising safety to the environment and human health. It has developed various regulatory instruments as well as the establishment of biosafety laboratory for the detection and analysis of genetically modified organisms for effective biosafety management in Nigeria.

“The absence of a Biosafety law in the past greatly hampered safe research and development in modern biotechnology in Nigeria.