The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, has advised the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and nuclear technology experts on safety in the application of the technology in Nigeria and on the African continent.
Mustapha gave the advice Monday at the year 2022 meeting of National Liaison Officers (NLOs) and National coordinators of the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA) in Abuja.
He said: “Recognizing that the hallmark for successful nuclear technology application is the assurance of safety, I want to urge us all to adopt and implement the highest standards of safety in our overall nuclear programmes in the region in accordance with the IAEEA’s guidelines for the culture of safety.
“It is also important to express Nigeria’s appreciation for the support and guidance provided by the Department of Technical Cooperation and IAEA in general in ensuring that Nigeria and indeed the African continent is not left out in the pursuit of safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies.”
Also speaking, the Director for the Division of Africa at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Dr Shaukat Abdulrazaq, assures that its nuclear programmes in Africa is for socio-economic development of the continent.
He said the technology can be used in the areas of agriculture, water resources, medicine etc to improve the lives of millions of Africans.
According to him, the agency emphasizes on regulatory infrastructure that will help the people to appreciate the positive aspect of the technology.
He said: “It is very important that we use nuclear energy in a safe, secure and peaceful manner for the social and economic development of Africa. We are on tract as far as the issue is concerned, we only need to do more in terms of awareness. The decision makers on the continent need to be more aware of the peaceful uses of nuclear technology.
“I have elaborated areas where we can use this technology for development. We can use the technology to come up with varieties of crops through breeding mutation. In health the technology is used for the treatment of cancer. In 2020 alone over 700,000 people died of cancer. So this technology needs to be amplified, we need to create more awareness so that people can see its usefulness. The ultimate result is to see how it can transform the continent in terms of social economic development. “
“There are countries where because of lack of awareness people see the negative aspect of nuclear technology. But we have always put a lot of emphasis on regulatory infrastructure so that we can regulate the technology. Safety infrastructure are very pivotal so that the technology can be used in a safe and secure manner. When all these is put in place, people will be able to appreciate the positive aspect of this technology.”
