The Federal Government has
denied that it imported and
flooded Nigeria’s markets
with Genetically Modified rice.
The Director-General of the
National Biosafety
Management Agency, Rufus
Ebegba, made the position of
government known at a news
conference on Wednesday in
Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria
recalls that an online news
platform had alleged that the
Federal Government through
a firm had flooded the
nation’s market with
poisonous GM rice.
Mr. Ebegba said that there
was no iota of truth in the
report. He noted that no GM
rice had either been imported
or released officially into the
country.
According to him, no such
rice has been commercially
released anywhere in the
world.
He said that the Federal
Government had banned the
importation of rice and there
was no indication that the
ban had been lifted.
Mr. Ebegba described the
online report as a falsehood
and imagination of the writer,
who “probably used a fake
name.”
He added that the report was
intended to cause
unnecessary panic and called
on Nigerians to disregard it.
The director-general also
urged them to join hands
with the government to
ensure safety in the practice
of modern biotechnology in
the country in line with global
best practices.
He said NBMA was capable of
regulating all GMO products
in Nigeria and promised that
the agency would not
compromise on its mandate.
(NAN)

mamabomboy:
So APC now wants to kill us