National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) said yesterday that it has begun the full enforcement of the Act establishing the NBMA.
The agency said that the six months moratorium it gave owners of Genetically Modified Organisms’ (GMOs) suspects that are already in Nigeria to formalize them ended on December 31.
The agency’s Director General Rufus Ebegba, in a statement by Head of Press, Ovuakporie Efe, said that anybody that contravened the law would face the consequences.
He said that the Act prescribes five years imprisonment or N2.5 million fine or both for defaulters.
“The very moment it was signed, the law became effective. But however, we gave a six month moratorium from June last year to 31 December that same last year for all those who might have been dealing on matters of GMOs and also practice modern technology to formalize their dealings with the agency. We did that because some people must have been doing that before the advent of the law.
“Now that we are in 2016 anybody that has not formalized its dealings cannot pretend not to know that there is a law in place. Presently the law is enforced and anybody that contravenes the law will definitely face the consequences of the law.
“The Act actually prescribes five years imprisonment or N2.5 million fine or both. If anybody is found not to have complied with the law and dealing with GMO without approval, you conceal information or you deal in modern biotechnology without approval you will be prosecuted if the court finds you guilty,” he said in the statement.
The DG maintained that it was not the business of the agency to promote the use of GMOs in the country but to ensure the safety of its application.
He explained that the agency was established by the Federal Government to assess the risks in terms of the likelihood of occurrence of hazards and severity of the consequences of the technology.
According to him, the agency performs risk assessment on GMO products to protect human health and the environment from any adverse effect in the practice of modern biotechnology.
“The science of Biosafety is to meet the challenge, to be the boundary of the old and the new technology, the place where skills requires wisdom on top knowledge.
“It is not the role of the agency to either oppose or promote the use of biotechnology since the federal government has already adopted the use of new technology in the country like several countries of the world as far back as 2001.
“The introduction of any new technology will usually come with major concerns about its suitability for human consumption, it is against this backdrop the agency was established to not only ensure that GMOs are fit for human consumption after putting the products through rigorous scientific process but to also deal with and sanction any producer who do not fully meet the laid down laws and regulations of the use of modern biotechnology.”
He added that the agency was working with law enforcement agencies to prosecute offenders.
“We are fully aware that some people may want to smuggle into the country GMOS products. We are collaborating with Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp and the Nigerian Police to prosecute offenders,” he added.