Stories by John Oba
Abuja
Eight member International Bio-safety Committee (IBC) has been reconstituted to replace the IBC committee inaugurated in 2013.
The director general, National Agricultural Seed Council Dr. Philip Ojo during national biosafety guidelines domestication, held in Abuja on Friday said the committee became necessary due to distrust and controversies surrounding acceptance and consumption of genetically engineered agricultural products also known as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
He described responsibilities of the committee to include the design of a roadmap for technical collaboration with both international and national institutes to revamp the nation’s seed industry.
He called for adequate capacity building, institutional mechanisms, infrastructure including funding and access to relevant information and collaboration amongst agencies to assure the public of safety as regard GMOs.
His words: “Today due to retirement and transfer of some members we shall be reconstituting the International Bio-safety Committee NASC-IBC.
“Considering the intensity of controversies on the modern biotechnology genetic engineering worldwide and the level of mistrust among Nigerians, much more need to be done to realize the much desired goal.
“This committee is commissioned to chart a workable roadmap for technical collaboration and formidable alliance with both international and national institutions that will guaranty a well performing seed industry in Nigeria and a pride to Africans in diaspora.
“In order to be able to implement their obligations, parties need appropriate institutional mechanisms and infrastructure, well-trained human resources, adequate funding, access to relevant information and other types of capacity building.
“In other words, institutions with advanced capacity should support other parties to build their institutional infrastructure and human capacities to a level that will ensure safe implementation of their obligations.”
In his remark, NBMA Director General, Dr. Rufus Egbema, dispelled fears ascribed to the use of GMOs stressing that it is safer than the conventional methods of breeding.
Egbema said GMOs are only invented to benefit its users and that the regulatory agencies are on ground to protect the interest of consumers.
He said science and technology has more to do with empirical facts than democratic deliberation where numbers of majority in support of a subject determines its acceptance.
“It involves the movement of desired specific gene of related species into the chromosomes and other organism preventing the movement of diseases which even safer than the conventional method of breeding.
“Science and technology is not a democratic process where people say 10 countries are not embracing GMOs. Why don’t they talk about those that embrace it? Though, presently in Nigeria it is one of the most controversial topics.
“Genetically engineered items are originally intended to be beneficial to the environment to which they are produce for. Although there are socio- economic concerns, hence the need for a regulation of the application of the technology.
“Nigeria is a signatory to several international bio-safety protocols which puts it in the best position to make use of GMOs.” he added
Members of the committee include officials from the NASC, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Bio-safety Management Agency (NBMA), Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) among others.
