address by the Director General/CEO, NABDA - OFAB

WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL/CEO, NABDA, AT THE JUNE
EDITION OF THE OPEN FORUM ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY IN
AFRICA AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CENTER, RADIO HOUSE, FEDERAL
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & COMMUNICATIONS, GARKI, ABUJA ON 24 TH OF
JUNE 2010.
Protocol
Honourable Guests, My dear Media Men and Women, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is
my privilege to welcome you all to ‘The Media OFAB’. This is a FORUM we have been looking
forward to. Your presence and continuous participation encourage us to further deepen the
search for ways of enhancing farmers’ productivity and general economics of the agricultural
sector of our beloved country. This great nation is endowed with the most infallible resources of
all times necessary to drive this cause: the human intellect.
Distinguished Participants, Biotechnology is a term used to represent a continuum of different
bio-techniques ranging from simple non-controversial tissue culture to genetic engineering or
gene-slicing embodied in ‘modern biotechnology’. It is now considered as the leading
technology of the 21 st century with tremendous potential to address economic, social and
environmental issues afflicting the poor in the developing nations. It is a tool of great
opportunities and many challenges. Its potential impacts and benefits are enormous in the areas
of agricultural development, health care, trade, environment and natural resources management,
industry, energy development etc. In essence, it provides a way forward in these areas where
earlier methods were less successful.
The application of biotechnological advances can increase crop yield, allowing farmers to use
fewer resources to maintain certain levels of production. With biotechnology, plants can be
sown, cared for, and their crops reaped with little or no use of pesticides, a result that protects
the environment from exposure to sometimes harsh chemicals. Biotechnology can also be used
to enhance the nutritional qualities of crops, providing important health and welfare benefits,
particularly in developing countries.
In recent times, no technological advance has been as enmeshed in controversies and subjected
to scrutiny as modern biotechnology. These controversies are particularly overwhelming in food
and agriculture. Today, the same public opinion, which is quick to accept the innovations and
hope generated by biotech in the field of health, is also quick to resist its application in food and
agricultural production. Genetically modified food is easily labeled as unsafe Frankenstein food;
seen as a monster that is inevitably bound to destroy its creator and everybody in its paths.
Interestingly, insulin, which is obtained through genetically modified bacteria, is widely used by
millions around the world. Biotechnology products have been derided and miss-categorized,
sparking waves of needless fear. Opponents are against "golden rice," a genetically modified
variety that could prevent blindness in millions of children and alleviate vitamin A deficiency in
millions more. For these opponents, even the likelihood that such foods could be safe is
unacceptable. In a situation of fear, almost everyone becomes superstitious. And where policy is
based on superstition and public debate is fueled by fear and misinformation, there is a real
possibility that the dividends of science will be lost.
Distinguished Participants, let me re-iterate here that there is no risk free technology and nobody
claims that modern biotechnology is risk-free. Every activity in life carries some degree of risk.
And, no doubt, there are legitimate concerns about several important aspects of biotechnology,
including those relating to biosafety and biodiversity, which we should not underestimate. Let

there be no doubt that we must take these concerns very seriously. At the same time, let’s not
forget that thousands of road fatalities are recorded in Nigeria every year but we still enjoy
driving our cars. The fear of plane crash has not stopped us from flying. Many conventional
crops cause allergic reactions, and yet, we accept these risks and consume these crops. We also
accept that some foods are riskier than others, and while we may handle them with more care,
we still eat them. Genetic modification is not new. Ever since man turned from hunter-gatherer
into breeder and farmer, he has tamed animals and plants and altered -- sometimes deliberately --
their genetic makeup.
Therefore, agricultural practices have not been "natural” for 10,000 years. With the exception of
wild berries and wild mushrooms, virtually all the grains, fruits and vegetables we eat today
(including "organic" ones) are, strictly speaking, genetically modified. Potatoes, tomatoes, oats,
rice and corns, for example, are derived from plants created during the past half-century by
extensive cross hybridizations that transcend natural breeding boundaries. For more than a
decade, farmers have cultivated gene-spliced plants on more than 100 million acres annually and
not a single ecosystem has been disrupted, or person injured, by any gene-spliced product.
My dear Press members, through guided interactions with bio-scientists as we are doing here
today, you will learn to uncover that which is covered. This will help you convince yourselves
that there is nothing mystic about modern biotechnology and that there is nothing to hide for that
matter. We want your coverage of biotechnology issues to be regarded as nothing but the truth,
based on scientific knowledge and information
The significance of Modern Biotechnology in Agriculture especially cannot be overemphasized
especially, in its strong potential to alleviate hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition as well as
improve agricultural practices. The safe practice of this technology is therefore paramount as it
is to any task, reason for the saying “it’s better to be safe than sorry”. This brings us to the
issue of the ‘Regulation of Biotechnology’ to ensure safe practice which is our topic of today.
National Biosafety bill was drafted by the Federal Ministry of Environment in 2006 and was
presented to the House of Representative as a privately sponsored bill by Hon. Gbenga P.
Makanjuola. It is awaiting final reading now. Today, NABDA is a forerunner in the facilitation
process of the bill passage just to ensure the safe practice of this cutting edge technology.
Since the decision to establish the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), in
2001 by the Federal Government of Nigeria to promote the biotechnology activities that
positively respond to national aspiration on food security, job/wealth creation, affordable
healthcare delivery and sustainable environment is because of the potential of the
Biotechnological tools in National Development hence immense contribution to the GDP of the
country. The activities of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) through
the Federal Ministry of Science & Technology over the years have spanned both formal and
informal sectors of the economy.
The Agency since its inception has contributed to the empowerment of Nigerian youth and
women most especially the youth and women of the Niger Delta region of the country in
collaboration with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) through training and
empowerment schemes in ventures that do not require huge initial capital such as establishment
of grasscutter rearing facility, aqua culture, tissue culture facility and mushroom production. The
agency has also achieved giant stride in the following areas:

i. Establishment of Trinitron Nigeria Limited for the production of the 21 st century
diagnostic kits for HIV, pregnancy and malaria. This initiative is in collaboration with
the Trinity Biotech of Ireland (foreign partner) and Federal Ministry of Health.
ii. Development of six centers of excellence in the first generation universities in the six
geopolitical zones of the country for research and development (R & D) in
biotechnology. These centers are being equipped with the state of the art biotech
equipment ready for use by the researchers.
iii. Promotions of various Presidential Initiatives on various Nigerian crops such Cassava,
Rice, Maize, Cotton and Tropical fruits
iv. Development of indigenous Bioreactor Systems, Ecological Sanitation (ECOSAN),
National Youth Corps empowerment Schemes, Bioresources conservation and
Biodiversity identification.
v. Development of Transgenic Cassava, Cowpea and Sorghum, Maize and Rice in
collaboration with both local and international Organizations such as African
Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Africa Harvest (AHBI), Institute of
Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria, Biocassava Plus and National Root Crop Research
Institute (NRCRI) Umudike, Abia State.
vi. Successful development of Transgenic fish technology for the production of transgenic
Tilapia for desirable traits such as faster growth, resistance to disease, resistance to viral
infections and to freezing temperature at the National Institutes for Freshwater Fisheries,
New Bussa, Niger State.
vii. Establishment of a Level 2 Containment Facility at IAR. Zaria for contained trial of
transgenic crops e.g. sorghum, cowpea and cotton.
.
With all of you being drawn from different media organizations, the outcomes of this month’s
edition of OFAB, I believe, will resonate throughout Nigeria if adequately reported and will help
to clarify the controversial issues in agricultural biotechnology. The fact that this June Edition of
OFAB is devoted specifically to the media practitioners testifies to the significant role you play
in the whole biotechnology debate; we neglect your impact and output at our own peril. The
"Pen, as you know, is mightier than sword”. Journalists are key partners in the development,
transfer and application of any modern technology and that they must not be neglected at all
stages of adoption of any of these technologies. This month’s edition of OFAB therefore, is
based on a simple premise that if journalists understand the truth about biotechnology, then, they
would be able to report more accurately in a manner that clarifies controversial issues.
At this juncture, I wish to commend the legislators (especially, the Chairman, House Committee
on Agriculture, Hon. Makanjuola Gbenga Peter) that have complemented our efforts on the
passage of the biosafety bill which is awaiting final reading at the House of Representatives. I
applaud the efforts of the Nigerian Bio safety Committee for this important mile stone. I must
also appreciate the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology and the entire Ministry for
their understanding on this issue and his resolve to ensure our success. Most of all, I thank the
Honourable Ministers of Information & Communications, Agriculture & Rural Development
and the Environment for your tremendous support in seeing to biotechnology having a
regulatory framework in place.
I have strong expectations that the interactive session that follows the Guest Speaker’s
presentation will help achieve this goal. Therefore, it will be our collective duty to shift the
debate over genetically modified organisms to a more balanced and scientific plane, to dissipate
and dissolve the persisting fear about biotech and help factor modern biotechnology into
Nigeria’s development process. We cannot afford to be left behind. It may interest the

iotechnology community to know that, European countries, once the hardest critics of G.M
food in the world have just approved the cultivation of first GM Crop Amflora potato in Europe
for industrial purposes alongside the entry of 3 GM Maize products. This approval came after 13
years of waiting. This is a giant stride in the modern biotech world, and definitely an
encouragement to us at NABDA that we are not leading the Nigerian government and the good
people of Nigeria astray.
I wish you a successful deliberation.
Thank you and God bless Nigeria.
Professor Bamidele Ogbe Solomon
Director General/CEO