By Dele Ogbodo
The Director General/CEO, NationalBiotechnology Development Agency, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, the DG, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Dr. Agnes Asagbra and the Open Forum for Agriculture Biotechnology (OFAB) under the auspices of African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) have urged Nigerian journalists to ensure that stories on Genetically Modified Organism/crops (GMOs) and other products from biotechnology tools and applications are balanced and accurately reported in their medium for the benefit of Nigerians and policy makers.
Addressing a cross section of member of Nigerian Guild of Editors and senior editors at an interactive session in Lagos, the NABDA boss, said it is the shared responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure that accurate and balanced information about agricultural biotechnology is readily available to all Nigerians.
The interactive session has as its theme: The Role of Editors in communicating agricultural biotechnology and biosafety.
The DG, said: “Today marks an important milestone in our journey towards enhancing public understanding and engagement with biotechnology in Nigeria.
“The media plays a pivotal role in shaping public opinion and disseminating information, making this gathering crucial in bridging the gap between science and the society we serve.”
According to him, biotechnology, is a transformative field that has the potential to address some of the most pressing challenges facing Nigeria and the world at large, adding that from agriculture to healthcare, from environmental conservation to industrial innovation, biotechnology is at the forefront of driving positive change.
However, Mustapha, said that for agricultural biotechnology to reach its full potential, it must be understood, accepted, and embraced by the public, explaining that the Lagos editors interaction seeks to foster a collaborative relationship between the media and the agricultural biotechnology community.
“We hope to create an open and constructive dialogue, where we can share knowledge, address concerns, and work together to communicate agricultural biotechnology’s benefits and challenges effectively.
“The media plays a crucial role in informing the public about these advancements and their implications.
“It is the bridge that connects complex scientific discoveries with the broader society, translating technical jargon into understandable language, and fostering informed discussions.
“It is imperative that we engage in a constructive dialogue on how the media can better cover agricultural biotechnology, biosafety and related topics.
“This particular Editors Interaction serves as a platform to facilitate the dialogue bringing together editors, journalists, and experts in the field of biotechnology to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and explore ways to enhance the quality and accuracy of agricultural biotechnology and biosafety reporting.” he said.
According to him, NABDA’S goal is to promote a balanced and informed narrative that enables the public to make well-informed decisions and policymakers to develop evidence-based policies.
However, as the meeting progresses the challenges and opportunities in agricultural biotechnology reporting, ethical considerations surrounding agricultural biotechnological innovations, and explore the potential impact of biotechnology on our society.
He said: “We will also showcase some of the remarkable biotechnological advancements happening within our country and how they can positively shape our future.
I encourage all participants to actively engage in the discussions, ask questions, and provide insights. Your perspectives are invaluable in shaping the way we communicate biotechnology to the public.
In the meantime, OFAB, Information Officer, Sarah Iliya Melah, in an accompanied statement of the event, said OFAB, Nigeria Chapter, an initiative of AATF under NABDA, said the import of the interactive session was to equip the media on how to navigate biotechnology frontiers for accurate science communication.
According to her, the aim of the workshop was to properly enlighten editors on agricultural biotechnology and biosafety matters so that suitable decisions about GM crops are made based on evidence-based science and policymakers’ decisions are clearly understood and disseminated to the public.
She quoted the Head, OFAB and Biotech Awareness Unit, Mrs. Iweajunwa Sarah Ogochukwu, as enumerating the objectives of the workshop to include: “To enlighten and keep the participants up to date with the developments in agricultural biotechnology, to address misconceptions about the safety of the technology and to build the capacity of the participants for improved editorial decision-making on issues related to agriculture biotechnology.”
She said the NABDA, DG/CEO, NABDA, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, in his welcome remarks reiterated that agricultural biotechnology must be understood, accepted, and embraced by the general public for it to realize its full potential and that it is a collective responsibility of NABDA to ensure that all Nigerians have access to accurate and fair information concerning agricultural biotechnology, which will enable them to make informed decisions about its applications.
“The media is the bridge that connects complex scientific discoveries with the broader society, translating technical jargon into understandable language, and fostering informed discussions. Therefore, it is imperative that we engage in a constructive dialogue on how the media can better cover agricultural biotechnology, biosafety, and related topics,” Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha asserted.
According to her, the Director, Agricultural Biotechnology Department, NABDA, Dr. Rose Gidado, highlighted that Nigerian agriculture is vulnerable to climate change and its associated occurrences of higher temperatures, extended droughts, floods, and other circumstances, reducing agricultural production across the country, particularly in the Northern States.
“Biotechnology offers new tools for increasing agricultural productivity and protecting food crops from climate change effects such as heat, floods, and drought,” according to her.
Concluding her remarks, Dr Gidado informed the participants that the use of biotechnology tools in Nigerian agriculture is now necessary due to the current state of emergency declared in the country’s food.
Also speaking Dr. Agnes Yemisi Asagbra, the DG/CEO of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBSMA) emphasized that modern biotechnology has advanced quickly, creating new regulatory requirements that must be met to protect human health and the environment while also utilizing the potential that biotechnology presents the country to.
To address the various global and national concerns/challenges in the fields of human health, agriculture, environment, and industry, modern biotechnology applications inside a legal framework can be a beneficial instrument.