The National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) on Thursday, sensitised the staff of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on progress made in modern biotechnology in the country.
The sensitisation workshop which held in Abuja also aimed at providing accurate and up to date information about advances made in the area of biotechnology in Nigeria since its adoption.
The Director-General of NABDA, Professor Abdullahi Mustapha, during his address, said Biotechnology is a powerful scientific tool that is revolutionizing the way things are done. He said it is the use of living organisms (plants, animals or microorganisms) to make useful products for the economic outcome.
He said “while conventional plant breeding methods are generally time-consuming and most times inaccurate, Genetic Engineering ensures that the desired trait is created very rapidly and with great accuracy.
“The specific aim is to improve the quality of the host organism. With the growing concern about the environmental impacts of large-scale use of insecticides and pesticides and the campaign launched to reduce the use of such chemicals, biotechnology application provides a ready substitute.”
He, therefore, said, “this sensitisation is aimed at providing accurate and up to date information about advances in the biotechnology sector since its adoption in Nigeria in order to ensure that the FCCPC Staff are fully acquainted with facts about GMOs and effectively disseminate same to the public.”
On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera said the workshop is important bearing in mind the many controversies surrounding GMOs and their products, especially the perceived safety concerns of some consumers globally and nationally which may be due to ignorance or otherwise.
He said the essence of this workshop, therefore, is to expose the members of staff of the Commission to facts about this group of consumer goods and dispel the concerns.
“It is pertinent to note that the Commission’s mandate covers all consumer products including GMOs and its derivatives, be it plant or animal-based products; to ensure consumers have access to safe and wholesome products and that their rights are protected,” he noted.
Irukera who was represented by a Director at the Commission, Dr Abdullahi Adamu, said one of the core functions of the Commission as stated in the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018, section 17 (o) is “to organize or undertake campaigns and other forms of activities capable of promoting increased private and public consumer awareness.”
“So, in a bid to carry out this function effectively with science-based facts and dispel the myths with regards to the products of modern biotechnology (GMOs), this workshop is being organized; that the members of staff of FCCPC will go out with key messages and facts, and allay the unwarranted fears of the public.
“The workshop will also ensure the discharge of the Commission’s mandate to promote and protect the rights of consumers to information, choice and so on, as pertain to Genetically Modified Organisms amongst others; as well as ensuring a level playing field for businesses to thrive by promoting competitiveness thereby dismantling monopoly,” he added.
Also, the Director-General of National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr Rufus Ebegba said his Agency recently signed an MoU with the FCCPC in the view of working together for the Agencies to understand themselves, and also FCCPC being the voice of consumers, it needs to understand what NBMA do because it regulates a product which has become so controversial.
“Government wants to use modern biotechnology to drive the economy, and science and technology will drive the modern economy.
“So, our responsibility as an Agency is to regulate, to make use that the products are safe to the environment and human health,” Dr Ebegba noted.
The Country Coordinator of Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), Dr Rose Gidado said the workshop also aims to build consumers confidence in biotechnology and its products and let FCCPC know the fact and myths about GMOs, to demystify biotechnology concepts and address issues of misunderstanding in the face of opposition from the anti-GM group.
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