45 Days After FOI Violation, NBMA Collaborates With USDA To Sensitise Nigerian Journalists, Influencers On GMO Regulation

The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), organised a workshop training sensitising Nigerian journalists and influencers on “strategic communications” on Biosafety Regulations.

This sensitisation training conducted in Abuja on August 15, 2024, titled “Strategic Communication Training for Influencers/Reporters on Biosafety/Biotech Regulations”, came 45 days after the NBMA, a GMO regulatory agency under the Federal Ministry of Environment, violated a Freedom of Information request, which sought the risk assessment it conducted to ascertain the safety of TELA Maize for human consumption.

Following the FOI violation, which indicated unlawful denial to provide the public with evidence to back the claim that the genetically modified TELA Maize is safe for human consumption, the NBMA Director, Agnes Yemisi Asagbra, promised to provide the risk assessment.

The promise of the NBMA Director remained unfulfilled, raising concerns about transparency and failure to address valid public concerns, including health and environmental issues surrounding GMOs.

However, in addressing how the public views GMO-related products, such as the TELA Maize Variety regulation, the NBMA stated that the “workshop was aimed at promoting scientific literacy and dispelling non-science-based narratives about agricultural biosafety to enhance the media’s capacity to communicate complex biosafety topics to the public accurately.”

It was also aimed to provide in-depth knowledge of the NBMA’s role and activities in regulating agricultural biotechnology, says the NBMA.

The NBMA further stated its collaboration with the USDA was to “foster a network of informed journalists who can contribute to the national dialogue on biosafety.”

With the brazen disregard for the FOI Act and the public, the NBMA continues its sensitisation program in subsequent seminars with the USDA representatives. At the same time, the TELA maise safety concerns remain unaddressed.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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