The Director General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Agnes Asagbra, has said the Nigerian government is actively regulating biotechnology to ensure genetically modified foods are safe for consumption.
Speaking on Channels TV’s The Morning Brief on Monday, July 28, Asagbra addressed widespread public concerns about genetically modified organisms (GMOs), assuring Nigerians that safety remains a top priority.
“The government realises the importance of having modern biotechnology regulated and our mandate is to regulate modern biotechnology, thereby ensuring the safety of the Nigerian populace, the animals, the plant and the environment, and therefore this is of the essence,” she said.
Asagbra noted that any GMO approved for use in Nigeria must pass rigorous scientific assessments aligned with international standards.
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“Over the years, we have been able to make sure that any GMO that has been approved in Nigeria has undergone rigorous scientific analysis,” she said.
“These are all under the international standard. We have the Cartagena Protocol under the Convention of Biodiversity, and we also have to use the Codex Alimentarius of the WHO (World Health Organisation) standard. All these are regulations, all these are standards that have to be made before a GMO can be approved.”
She added that the agency also monitors food shelves to ensure that genetically modified products are clearly labelled, working in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Asagbra said her agency is committed to protecting public health, Nigeria’s biodiversity, and the environment through proper oversight and enforcement of biosafety protocols.