Rufus Ebegba, director general and chief executive officer of the National Bio-safety Management Agency (NBMA), has given importers of Genetically Modified (GM) seeds a 7-day ultimatum to formalize their dealings or risk being shut down.
Ebegba who said in a statement made available to BusinessDay, noted that there is current influx of illegal GM products into the country, while urging dealers to obtain the necessary biosafety permit from the agency before making such importation.
According to him, the permit allows the NBMA carry out risk assessments on GM seeds in the country.
The director general said the agency will not hesitate to prosecute those trading in GMOs and their by-products illegally.
He noted that the agency was established to ensure that GM products are safe for Nigerians as no product will be allowed into the country without the necessary safety analyses and risk assessments.
He recalled that there had been a meeting where potential importers were familiarized with the procedure to trade GMOs and their by-products.
Ebegba also stated that GM products in confined field trials will not be released to the market till they are confirmed safe to both human health and the environment.
Josephine Okojie
