Caleb Onwe 
The Federal Government, through the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA), on Wednesday organised an awareness creation workshop for the directorate cadre of the health sector.
The one-day workshop for the Senior directors drawn from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, held in Abuja, was said to have been designed to equip participants with the knowledge needed to diffuse misinformation about the health implications of agriculture biotechnology.
Speaking at the event, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NBRDA, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, said that the workshop was aimed at disseminating information that will foster stronger collaboration and evidence based communication on the adoption, development and deployment of agriculture biotechnology in Nigeria.
Mustapha who was represented by Dr. Oyedele Julius, the Director Environmental Biotechnology and Bioconservation Department, noted that the awareness creation on agric biotech was part of the strategy to boost food security, protect public health, and strengthen economic resilience.
He said that the Federal government was determined to solve the food system challenges with biotechnology, while also ensuring safety for Nigerians.
The DG stressed that Nigeria’s regulatory framework remains “robust, transparent, and science-driven, ensuring that GMO products undergo rigorous risk assessments, trials, and monitoring before approval.
He urged journalists and public officers to report on biotechnology with accuracy and balance, emphasising that “facts matter, context matters, and tone matters.”
The representative of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, John Atanda, who is also the Director and National Coordinator Food Safety and Quality Program, Food and Drug Services Department, noted that all the relevant agencies of the Ministry were on alert to ensure that no harmful biotechnology products were developed or marketed in the country.
He said, “ The Food and Drug Services Department and its Agencies, is committed to protecting and promoting public health through safe, nutritious and wholesome foods This means that every product born from modern biotechnology will be held to the highest safety standards.
“Rigorous risk assessments-covering allergenicity, nutritional composition, long-term health impacts, and environmental considerations will guide our approach.
“ In doing so, we intend to mitigate potential risks and to engender the transparency our consumers rightfully expect. Together with MDAs like NAFDAC, IPAN. NBRDA and NBMA ensure that every GMO product follows standard regulatory procedures such as labelling and traceability to reinforce trust and accountability for every Nigerian”.
Earlier, Dr. Rose Gidado, Director of Agriculture Biotechnology in NBRDA disclosed that Nigeria has made enormous progress towards achieving food and nutritional security with the help of biotechnology.
