Some of the major stakeholders in Abuja have on Wednesday stated their massive reservations against the proposed amendment which would be made to the National Bio-Safety Management Agency Act which had been announced during a public hearing on the bill sponsored to that effect by the former Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (PDP Kebbi North).
The public hearing which had also been organised by the Senate Committee on Environment at the National Assembly had not attended by the sponsor.
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Abdullahi had in the new bill sought strict regulation on foods that have been genetically modified in preventing some of the inherent health hazards, he had alsospecifically sought for labelling of genetically modified foods in the country so consumers will know the difference between them and natural ones and recommended sanctions against violation of the proposed law.
But almost all the stakeholders in the bio-safety sector had rejected the proposed legislation in separate submissions made.
First to kick against it was the Director General of the National Bio-Technology Development Agency, NABDA, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha who said the proposed amendment was unnecessary.
“There is no reason, there is no justification for the proposed legislation as NABDA has made significant achievements on agriculture and vaccines production towards checkmating consumption of toxic chemicals from modified foods and addressing the problem of insecurity.
“It is on this achievement that President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the bill now Act, making NABDA embark on a wide range of research work and accessing international grants for its scientifically and technologically driven biotechnology development,” he said.
The President of All Farmers Association in Nigeria, AFAN, Arc. Kabiru Ibrahim also kicked against the bill by saying that Nigerian farmers are up to the task of providing food sufficiency in the country.
“No need for the amendment of the extant law since it is also domesticated in 172 other countries in the world.
“The proposed legislation is a very bad one that must be thrown into the trash can,” he said.
Similarly, all members of the committee, including the Vice Chairman, Senator Hassan Hadejia (APC Jigawa North East) who represented the chairman, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Nnachi Michael (PDP Ebonyi South) etc, kicked against the bill.