The National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) on Wednesday, extended its sensitisation exercise on Biotechnology to South-East Zone, calling on farmers, extension agencies, MDAs, academia and students to embrace the new technology..
“Through this sensitisation workshop, we aim to deepen our understanding of biosafety regulations, biotechnological advancements, and their implications for Nigeria.
“By fostering dialogue, sharing best practices, and raising awareness, we can empower stakeholders at all levels to make informed decisions and participate meaningfully in the biotechnology revolution unfolding before us,” he said.
He further told the participants, “Your contributions are invaluable to the success of this workshop and the advancement of biotechnology and biosafety in Nigeria.
“And my appeal to everyone is to contribute their best as we try to fashion out strategies on how to ensure that the country is food-secured”.
While thanking partners, Abdullahi added that as stewards of science and technology, they had a responsibility to ensure that their actions were guided by principles of safety, sustainability, and social responsibility.
In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of GOUNI, Professor Christian Anieke said the workshop came at the right time given the food insecurity faced by Nigerians that was on increases on daily basis.
Anieke, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration, Gozie Ogbodo, explained that Biotechnology had wide application to the improvement of life of anything that had DNA, rising from Agriculture, environment, medicine, and others.
He said it improved productivity, and properties of food crops and flowers, adding that to achieve economic understanding, adoption and acceptance of biotechnology, it was important to sensitize the southeast zone on the benefits of biotechnology and its safety to counter most health-related threats by antics in the region.
“GOUNI has always been at the fore front of advancement of biotechnology in Nigeria as it offers biotechnology as a course with approved curriculum by the National University Commission.
“The university was the only DNA learning centre in Africa and seven in the world, adding that biotechnology will improve productivity, quality of food crops and income of the farmers,” Anieke said.
Also speaking, the Country Coordinator, PSB, Nigeria, Dr Mathew Dore, said they were working in Enugu on cassava to be more productive and resistant to challenges and environment.
“We are working on how we can make cassava richer as Biotechnology is being used for cassava while cowpea and maize are about 5 years old in the country.
“It took time to multiply the seeds which needed to go round to farmers in the rural areas,” he noted.
Dr Ayo Enwerem, Chairman All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Imo State Chapter, revealed that it had been more than 20 years since the issue of genetically improved crops came up but they had never been given the seeds, stressing that farmers cannot find them .
“They should give us to multiply them. Any product that looks good now they say it is Genetically Modified Organism. Farmers want to know and differentiate them because they are labelling them and everything is confused.
“Today they are talking about maize that they had worked on. when will they work on cassava, oil palm which are our main food here that will fight food insecurity,” he asked.
The event was tagged One-Day Biosafety and Biotechnology Sensitization Workshop for the South East zone with the theme “Genetic Modified Food Safety Stewardship: Fortifying Public Confidence.”
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