The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) on Monday, May 31, 2021 organised biosafety regulations training for members of its staff to increase their proficiencies, skills and knowledge of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) safety.
The Director General, NBMA, Dr Rufus Ebegba, in his remarks at the training in Abuja reiterated the agency’s commitment to continue ensuring a holistic biosafety system for the safety of human health and environment.
Ebegba noted that there was need to constantly upgrade the knowledge of the staff to get the best from them.
“Modern biotechnology is an involving technology, so there is need to bring the staff up to date of the emerging aspects of it and to also draw their minds back as to what to do as an agency.
” Looking at the policy of national biotechnology and national biosafety such training will be organised from time to time, so that staff can be upgraded as well as their skills and knowledge.
“Nigeria has a policy to promote the research and development of biotechnology and the agency coming on board is to regulate the technology to ensure that the policy which has been developed and accepted is well regulated and deployed for the growth of the economy,” he said.
He also emphasised that the agency was not created to stop the release of GMOs, but to ensure that only safe GMOs are deployed for economic development of the nation.
He added that the agency was only in existence to guide, process and for the application of modern biotechnology and GMOs which are products of biotechnology and are safe to enhance the economy.
“The ones we have approved are safe for human health and the environment.
“NBMA is the first authority in the country to tell you that this GMO product is safe,” he said.
The Country Director, Programme for Biosafety System, Dr Matthew Dore, urged the members of staff to take the training seriously as many did not know the science in the application of the technology.
Dore also advised participants to ask questions where they needed clarifications.
By Patience Omoha and Ugochi Ugochukwu
