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Over 70 CSOs Want Senate To Proceed With NBMA Re-amendment Bill

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By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

Say Science Must Align With Country’s Realities

Those Against The Bill Have No Regard For The Environment – Nnimmo Bassey

Groups of civil society organizations, researchers, farmers,
nutritionists and consumer groups representing millions of Nigerians
have called on the Nigerian Senate to proceed with the bill for an
amendment of the National Biosafety Management Agency Act (Amended
2019).

This call was made following the public hearing on the bill which held
on 31 August and 1 September 2022.

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In a statement signed by over seventy (70) CSOs, different groups of farmers and experts, etc, a soft copy of which was made available to INFO DAILY, the coalition condemned the fact that
there was no real representation of CSOs and farmers at the public
hearing, stressing that amendment to the bill is vital for the protection of Nigeria’s biosafety, genetic/nutritional diversity, the rights of local food producers, and for economic resilience.

The groups also noted that “scientific integrity, social responsibility and accountability are not negotiable, and no technology should be exempted from these values.”

On Friday 2 September 2022, it was reported that some “experts reject biosafety act re-amendment” on the grounds that it would retrogress science and development in Nigeria.

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But responding to this claim, the coalition stressed that science and development
must align with the country’s realities/context, adding that it must pass through the test of safety and sustain-ability. “Anything beside this is an ambush.”

Contributing to the argument, Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of the Mother Earth Foundation, one of the CSOs that signed the statement, said that those who are against
this bill have demonstrated utter disregard for the environment and the well-being of human.

READ ALSO: Oil Spill: Declare Environmental Emergency On Odimodi Community Now, Environmental Rights Action Urges FG, Shell

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He emphasized that the bill in its current state is anti-people, and does not protect the consumers or farmer’s interest and allows all sorts of genetically modified products into the country with lax regulation.

Also contributing, Akinbode Oluwafemi, Director of Corporate Accountability and Public
Participation for Africa, CAPPA, also a signatory to the statement, noted that science must be in the
interest of the people, the general public and not just a few industry
players.

Oluwafemi added that having a strict regulation of GMOs in
Nigeria means that “we are able to utilize science in a way that is
consistent with the standards of biosafety, ethics and good judgement.”

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On his part, the Coordinator, Food Sovereignty Programme at Friends of the Earth Nigeria and Africa, Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, noted that “lack of strict provision on the Precautionary Principle, the absence of strict
liability, the conflicting composition of the board of the NBMA (with
the National Biotechnology Development Agency as as well other promoters
of GMOs on it) and provisions permitting the Agency to receive gifts from various sources are just a few of the gaps in the watered-down NBMA Act that this bill seeks to address.”

According to Bassey-Orovwuje, “if the promoters of GMOs are so proud of their products, why do they have such a morbid fear of strict
regulation? If the technology is as safe as they claim then it should
meet up with the standards of safety and accountability.”

A Molecular Biologist, Ifeanyi Casmir warned that the direction science will take Nigeria with a lax regulatory system is one of disaster and
regret.

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We are not against science but those who take advantage of the
weak regulatory architecture to mastermind the importation and release of sundry untested and unproven GM products making the country an
experimental ground.”

On her part, Gloria Okon, leader of a woman farmer group in Katsina, stated that
farmers are most affected by GMOs, adding that the implications they bring and
thus their interest must be upheld.

She applauded the move by the Senate to ensure strict regulation of GMOs and implored that they see it
through despite the opposition from the promoters of the technology.

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READ ALSO: Monitor, Protect Your Environment, HOMEF Charges N’Delta Communities

The groups, therefore, encouraged the lawmakers to proceed with the amendment bill and not give up nor give in to pressure from the purveyors of GMOs and
accompanying toxic chemicals.

We need a regulatory system that can assure the country of its biosafety and not just dance to the tune of
those it is set up to check or merely imitate other countries whose
socio-economic and ecological systems are different from ours,” the coalition added.

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JUST IN: Tinubu Decorates New Service Chiefs

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President Bola Tinubu on Thursday decorated the new service chiefs with their respective ranks at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The ceremony, which began shortly after 2pm saw the President perform the decoration alongside Vice President Kashim Shettima and the spouses of the decorated officers, each dressed in their respective service uniforms.

Those decorated were General Olufemi Oluyede as the Chief of Defence Staff; Lieutenant-General Wahidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff; Air Marshal Kennedy Aneke as Chief of Air Staff; and Vice Admiral Idi Abbas and Chief of Naval Staff.

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The Senate had, on Wednesday, confirmed the four nominees after a two-hour closed-door screening session where they were grilled on strategies to strengthen national security and improve coordination among the armed forces.

Tinubu had earlier written the red chamber, seeking an expedited confirmation process “to ensure continuity in the nation’s security leadership.”

READ ALSO:Reps Approve Tinubu’s $2.35bn External Loan Request

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It was observed that the ceremony was attended by senior government officials, lawmakers family members of the service chiefs and top officers from the various arms of the military.

The President, Vice President and the officers’ spouses took turns pinning the new ranks on each of the decorated chiefs.

The decoration came barely one week after the Presidency announced a sweeping reshuffle in the military hierarchy.

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In the statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, it said the shake-up was part of efforts to inject new direction into the nation’s defence architecture.

READ ALSO:Tinubu Under Fire Over Presidential Pardon For Drug Offenders

The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General E. A. P. Undiendeye, retained his position.

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Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, later told our correspondent that the changes were not connected to recent rumours of a coup plot, saying, “The President acted within his authority as Commander-in-Chief. Service chiefs can be hired and fired by the President.”

On Monday, Tinubu had met privately with the new service chiefs at the Villa.

They arrived in a black Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van escorted by a green Toyota Land Cruiser, and the session lasted about 40 minutes.

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READ ALSO:FULL LIST: 175 Beneficiaries Of Tinubu’s Pardons

Presidency sources said the President charged them to take decisive action against insurgents and bandits, particularly in the North.

Last Friday’s reshuffle followed an October 19 report alleging that some officers were plotting to overthrow the government — a claim later dismissed by the Defence Headquarters as “false and mischievous.”

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The Director of Defence Information, Brigadier-General Tukur Gusau, said the alleged arrests linked to a coup were “issues of indiscipline” within the ranks, describing the report as “intended to cause unnecessary tension and distrust among the populace.”

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JUST IN: Eurozone Growth Beats Expectations In Third Quarter

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The eurozone economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter of 2025, official data showed Thursday.

The EU’s data agency said the 20-country single currency area recorded growth of 0.2 per cent over the July-September period from the previous quarter.

READ ALSO:Atiku Slams Tinubu Over U-turn On Pardon For Convicts

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The figure was higher than the 0.1 per cent forecast by analysts for Bloomberg and FactSet.

More details later…

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PHOTOS: Police Inspector, Others Die In Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Multiple-truck Crash

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At least four persons were feared dead while several others sustained injuries in a multiple-vehicle crash involving five articulated trucks on Kara Bridge, inward Mowe, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Thursday.

A police inspector attached to the Lagos State Police Command was said to be among the victims.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, who confirmed the incident on Thursday during a visit to the scene, said emergency response teams worked through the early hours to rescue victims and clear the wreckage.

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“We have a case of multiple accidents at the border between Ogun and Lagos State. Five vehicles were involved, all articulated vehicles. Precisely, three people have been rescued from the scene of the accident.

READ ALSO:Ten Feared, Others Injured In Oyo Road Accident

As early as 5 a.m., we have been on it, and we have other agencies here assisting us. We have LASTMA, the Road Safety Corps, and other security agencies,” Ishola said.

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He explained that preliminary investigations showed the crash was caused by a trailer that suffered brake failure.

At the beginning, we have a trailer that failed to brake, and it is important that everybody in charge of their vehicle ensures proper maintenance,” he stated.

The commissioner also confirmed the death of one of his officers who was part of the police advance team deployed to the scene.

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READ ALSO:41 Killed In Mexico Bus Accident

“It’s very unfortunate that we lost one of our police inspectors who came with our advance team to salvage the situation,” he said.

Ishola cautioned motorists, particularly drivers of articulated vehicles, against reckless driving, which he described as a leading cause of fatal crashes on highways.

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We want road users, especially those driving articulated vehicles, to stop this kind of recklessness. If they are not reckless in their driving habit, we won’t have this kind of accident,” he warned.

Rescue operations involving the police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, and other agencies were still ongoing as of press time, while efforts to remove the damaged vehicles and restore traffic flow continued.

 

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