TELA Maize will save N268b annually for farmers – Dr. Ebegba

ABUJA, Nigeria – The Director General/Chief Executive Officer (DG/CEO) of National Biosafety Management Agency, NBMA, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, has said that the newly approved TELA Maize will save farmers N268 billion spent annually on insecticide.

Dr. Ebegba disclosed this in a PowerPoint presentation delivered at the end of year 2021 media chat held at the headquarters of the NBMA in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

“The Federal Government, through the NBMA, has granted environmental approval for evaluation and open cultivation of a new maize variety, Tela Maize. Tela Maize was developed by researchers at the Institute for Agricultural Research, IAR, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria that resists fall armyworm, stem borers and tolerates moderate drought.

“The approval is as a result of years of thorough biosafety monitoring, and by consideration of the advice by the National Biosafety Committee, the National Biosafety Technical Sub-Committee and the risk management report provided by the applicant. TELA Maize is coming at a time when farmers are spending so much to reduce insect and pest attacks as well as battling with the issue of drought,” Ebegba said.

According to the DG/CEO, “NBMA in 2021 continued to exercise its mandate by constant inspection of Confined Field Trial (CFT) sites and containment facilities to ensure compliance with biosafety regulations and guidelines. Among these facilities are the ones in NABDA (National Biotechnology Development Agency), IITA (International Institute for Tropical Agriculture) Ibadan, NRCRI (National Root Crops Research Institute) Umudike, IAR (Institute for Agricultural Research) Zaria, NCRI (National Cereals Research Institute) Baddegi, among many others.”

Dr. Ebegba said NBMA reviewed the risk assessment dossier of several applications requiring issuance of Permit and/or Authorization while also revealing that the zonal offices of the agency in South-South Asaba, South-West Ibadan and North-Central Lafia were inaugurated in 2021.

The National Biosecurity Policy and Action Plan (2022-2026) developed by the NBMA went through manifold reviews by stakeholders this year before its submission for approval which has now been granted by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The NBMA boss noted that “This Policy document aims to foster the integration and harmonization of Biosecurity strategies that will be implemented through One-health approach for the prevention, early detection, rapid response to biothreats and recovery from a biosecurity incident. This Policy has been established to ensure synergy among stakeholders involved in biosecurity sectors for effective and efficient operations of the national biosecurity systems. This is to guarantee best practices in ensuring biosecurity for socio-economic development.

“This Policy ensures that all aspects of National and International Agreement, Conventions, Guidelines and other instruments on biosecurity are duly taken into consideration.”

As part of its efforts to strengthen biosafety capacity in Nigeria, the DG/CEO said the agency carried out Rotational daily in-house seminars by and for staff of the Agency; Case review and strategy planning workshop for NBMA staff and defense lawyers; Training on Risk Assessment Process for NBMA Scientific Officers; Workshop on the Role of Editors in Communicating Biotechnology in Nigeria; Training on GMO Detection as it applies to border control of agricultural products for National Quarantine Service (NAQS) staff; Training on GMO Detection and Analysis for Staff of the Kano State Ministry of Science and Technology; Training on Basic techniques of molecular biology for IT students and Corp members; Several other local and foreign capacity building programmes.

He further stated that the NBMA’s priorities in 2022 would include: Development of Biosecurity Human capacities; Establishment and Acquisition of Biosecurity Facilities; Sensitization and awareness creation; Development of Biosecurity Operational Instruments; Development, stakeholders/expert review and validation of further Biosafety tools and guidance (regulatory instruments); Advocacy for the effective implementation of the National Biosecurity Policy and Action Plan (2022-2026); Biosafety Capacity Enhancement and Development; Biosafety Risk Assessment, Surveillance and Compliance.

The NBMA was established by the National Biosafety Management Agency Act 2015, with the mandate to provide a regulatory framework to effectively protect human health and the environment from possible adverse effects of modern biotechnology and its products like the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), while harnessing the potentials of modern biotechnology and its derivatives, for the benefit of Nigerians.

Dr. Ebegba, an agriculturist, environmental biologist and expert on Biodiversity, was appointed the pioneer DG/CEO in 2015 upon the establishment of the agency. He was reappointed at the expiration of his first tenure in 2019 same year the scope of operation of the agency was expanded with the amendment of its establishing Act.