Flowerbud News

Author: Ibrahim Abusadiq

  • The DATA Manipulators

    The DATA Manipulators

    October 13, 2019 By Babafemi Ojudu

    It was a sore point he touched. President Muhammadu Buhari who is not known for diplomatese said it as it is.

    In his address to the newly inaugurated Economic Advisory Council he dismissed the data emanating from the World Bank, IMF and others .

    He is never known to be a fan of these organizations though. Not now and not then when he was military head of state. It was in fact his refusal to accept their antidote to our economic challenges that propelled the move against him.

    What happened thereafter? Those who succeeded took the poisonous pill. It led to the exodus of the best of our country and standards and values collapsed.We may not recover from this in a half a century.

    Buhari declared , and bluntly too, that most often the data generated by these West based organizations are unreliable.

    His words : ”Today, most of the statistics quoted about Nigeria are developed abroad by the World Bank, IMF and other foreign bodies.

    Some of the statistics we get relating to Nigeria are wild estimates and bear little relation to the facts on the ground. This is disturbing as it implies we are not fully aware of what is happening in our own country.”

    As expected this has generated fierce arguments and condemnations in the circles of the worshippers of these institutions. This is much expected.

    Most statistics about our country are generated from the outside: child mortality rate unemployment rate, growth rate, poverty level, productivity or lack of it, GDP, number of displaced Nigerians etc.

    Often we are not told how these data were gathered. They are pronounced and government officials , development experts and academics mouth them without raising questions.

    Our country is judged by them and the respectability of our nations , her people and leaders is measured by the data generated by outsiders to justify and drive their agenda for Nigeria and Africa.

    The fact that they could be wrong and far off the mark was practically demonstrated to me some years ago at a conference on Investing in Nigeria, which I participated in in Washington DC.

    It was the year MTN, the telecommunication company that originated in South Africa, celebrated her success story in Nigeria. It was a magnificent story told at business fora for all of the world .

    It was a story that at that moment demonstrated to American investors that if they should continue to depend on the statistics and data from the Bretton Woods institutions, they will not get the right compass to lead them to the right decisions on investments in Nigeria.

    What happened ?

    President Obasanjo deregulated the telecoms industry. Bids were advertised all over the world for interested companies to apply to invest in Nigeria. Top American companies , as narrated at the conference, hired consultants to advise on whether or not to put money and resources in the Telecom sector in Nigeria.

    All of the reports and recommendations from the consultants using the World Bank data came up negative. Nigerians are so poor that hardly could anyone spend a dollar a day on making telephone calls, they concluded. The American majors in this sector received the reports and decided it was not worth their while.

    Nigeria was left with MTN and the then Econet , both from southern parts of Africa.

    They took the risk, invested. and boy , the money came in trove. The western telecom companies became green in their eyes.

    When ten years after MTN consistently reported humongous profits , the majors from America and Europe were desirous of coming . It was too late. The cost of license had not only gone up but the door had been shut.

    So much for the lack of understanding and knowledge of the Nigerian situation and economy by outsiders, particularly the West.

    That is why I feel no nation or community can experience development by relying on handouts from these institutions. A nation finds growth by mobilizing the energy of her people for productivity.

    Those nations whose leaders expend their energy and resources pursuing funds from those bodies that make up figures to stay in business, and relying on oxygen from them for the survival of their nations, are simply suffering from laziness, insincerity and lack of creativity.

    Let them learn from others who have taken their destinies in their hand, called on their people’s creativity and lifted millions out of poverty.

    Steadfastness, not junkets in search of handouts develops nations. Aid truly is dead, paraphrasing the Zambian Author, Dambisa Moyo.

    Expending energy on writing proposals, spending millions on first class flight tickets and expensive hotels in Washington DC and New York , doctoring statistics and manipulating reports to impress World Bank bureaucrats never will bring about development. It has always been a fraud and will remain so. Our few public servants who make this their pre-occupation should take a page from this admonition.

    Be sincere, level up with your people , keep your traveling passport in the inner recess of your wardrobe , dirty your hand, what you are looking for brother in Sokoto is in the pocket of your Sokoto.

    A large chunk of whatever is given ends up in paying fat cat consultants and their expenses, buying SUVs and living big among the poor they are supposed to bring out of poverty. It a device by a few to have a good life at the expense of the image of our country and using our people as their mascots.

    If in doubt ask the people of the North East of Nigeria. As the President indicated, there is hardly any evidence that aid money declared in western capitals make their way to the North East.

    The prices of accommodation in Yola and Maiduguri is sky high, bid up by competing Western Organizations while the ordinary citizens are pushed to live on the streets all in the name of aid.

    The young western boys and girls in search of adventure rock night clubs in Abuja, Lagos and Yola while writing reports and consuming the aid dollars – and perhaps if the President is right, also making up figures.

    The time is ripe for us to take data collection and projection seriously, and that starts with our identity. We must be able to identify all Nigerians – to secure ourselves, to plan for our schools and clinics, to even ensure we collect much needed taxes to support the expanded services we must deliver to our every growing citizens.

    # This is why we must emphasize the harmonization of the various databases of identities that are now stored in various forms across various competing agencies, and take primary data collection very serious as Mr. President has admonished.

    Again, President Buhari I am with you in this.

    Senator Ojudu is Special Adviser Political Matters. He writes from Abuja.

  • Dangote extends promo, says 20 cars remaining must be won

    Management of Dangote Cement over the weekend officially extend the ongoing sales promo by additional four weeks, stating that customers still have more than 20 cars and other fabulous prizes to be won and they must win all the gifts before the promo will be concluded.

    Dangote Cement’s Group Managing Director, Eng. Joseph Makoju, who revealed this during another car presentation ïn Lokoja, Kogi State said: “We are excited to inform you that we have decided to extend the ongoing National Consumer Promotion tagged “Dangote Bag of Goodies” He said while Promotion will now end on October 15th, customers still have till October 31st, 2019 to redeem their respective prizes.

    “Based on the above dates, packaging of cement in the special promo bags with scratch card insertion will continue till 15thOctober while lucky consumers will be able to continue redeeming their prizes up until 31st October 2019”

    Meanwhile hundreds of pedestrians, motorists, and motorbike operators took turn to catch a glimpse of the presentation of prizes in Lokoja, Kogi state.

    The car winner Mr. Abubakar Musa, 33, a block molder, said he was still in shock despite being presented keys to his new car.

    Narrating how he won the car, he said “…when I removed the winning card from the bag of cement, I ran to my wife who told me that the promo has since ended. But when I brought it to the Dangote office here they confirmed that it was ongoing and that I had won a car.”

    He added: “I still cannot come to terms that I have won a car. I believe it is God doing. Dangote is God’s sent to my family.”

    Makoju who made the presentations said the company was making a point by rewarding its loyal customers. The GMD described the promo as a success, urging Nigerians to key into it, adding that the winning cards were in over 72million promotional bags of Dangote cement.

    He said Dangote was not only leading in the cement sector but it is leading in quality as it is the only cement company in Nigeria that uses automatic robotic engineering to deliver quality to end users.

    Describing Kogi State as the heart of Dangote Cement, he said Obajana Cement Plant, cited in Kogi, is one of the largest cement plant in the world.

    National Sales Director Dangote Cement, Adeyemi Fajobi said over 21 million winners of various items are expected to emerge at the end of the promotion. According to him, millions of naira were also to be won.

    Dangote cement Marketing Director, Mrs. Funmi Sanni urged the people to continue to buy Dangote cement because there are various prizes for a whopping 21 million Dangote cement buyers, a figure she described as about 10 percent of Nigeria’s population.

    The decision to reward end users, she stated was because Dangote Cement views its customers as being at the centre of its operations and the well-being of the customers is also the well-being of the company, therefore, the need to empower them through the promotion.
    Sanni explained that lucky Dangote cement consumers across the country would go home with 43 cars, 24 tricycles, 24 motorcycles, 550 refrigerators, 400 television sets, 300,000 Dangote foods goodies packs and recharge cards for all networks worth N200,000,000.00.

  • Pakistan to launch mobile phone app to curb child sex abuse

    Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered authorities to prepare a mobile phone app to help parents report child sex abuse after a series of crimes shocked the nation.

    Khan announced the initiative after police arrested a man for the alleged sexual abuse and murder of four young boys in Punjab province’s Kasur district.

    The abduction, rape and murder of the four boys in September took place in the same district where a seven-year-old girl named Zainab was raped and murdered in 2018.

    The “Mera Bacha Alert” (My Child Alert) app will allow parents the option of avoiding a decades-old in-person police reporting system.

    Many parents, especially in rural areas and smaller communities, avoid reporting incidents like rape due to shame, fears of stigmatisation and pressure to avoid lodging such allegations.

    The new method should help ease the barriers to reporting crimes of abuse, Khan’s office said.

    The app will alert officials in all four provinces of the country about the incident.

    “The app will help parents report and we will ensure safety and security of our children,” the prime minister said in a statement issued by his office.

    “The PM has ordered to complete the task within two weeks,” a spokesperson at Khan’s office said on Wednesday.

    In 2018, at least 3,832 cases of abduction, sodomy and rape were reported in which 55 per cent victims were girls, according to Sahil, a not-for-profit organisation that records reported cases related to children.

    It welcomed the launch of the app.

    In 2015, the city of Kasur made global headlines when hundreds of videos of child molestation surfaced and police later arrested several members of a racket involved in selling child pornography to websites in Europe.

  • UK PM Johnson to unveil ‘final Brexit offer’ to EU

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Wednesday unveil his final Brexit offer to the EU and say that, if Brussels does not engage with it, Britain will stop talking and leave on Oct. 31 regardless.

    In his closing speech to his Conservatives’ annual conference, Johnson will stick to his hard line on Brexit, offering the party faithful details of what he will describe as his “fair and reasonable compromise”.

    With less than a month left until Britain is due to leave the EU, the future of Brexit, its most significant geopolitical move since World War Two, is uncertain.

    It could leave with a deal or without one – or not leave at all.

    “My friends, I am afraid that after three-and-a-half years, people are beginning to feel that they are being taken for fools.

    “They are beginning to suspect that there are forces in this country that simply don’t want Brexit delivered at all,” he will say, according to extracts released by his office.

    “Let’s get Brexit done on Oct. 31 so in 2020 our country can move on.”

    In a strategy that will define the future of Brexit, the EU and his premiership, Johnson is betting he can get enough concessions from Brussels to persuade Brexit supporters in the British parliament to ratify any deal.

    Johnson has been firm that the Oct. 31 deadline will be met, but parliament has put roadblocks in his way – passing a law that requires him to ask the EU for a delay if he fails to secure an acceptable deal at an EU summit on Oct. 17-18.

    On Tuesday, sterling had dipped to a one-month low of 1.2205 dollars as traders became increasingly nervous about the possibility of a deal.

    On Wednesday morning it was trading at 1.2228 dollars, weighed down by fears that Johnson’s proposal would not produce an agreement.

    The EU has repeatedly asked Britain to come up with “legal and operational” proposals for the changes Johnson wants to a deal that his predecessor Theresa May negotiated with the bloc in 2018.

    “This is the moment of truth,” Conservative Party Chairman James Cleverly said, adding that the EU must see the need to compromise if it wanted to avoid a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.

    “This would mean no measures to soften the sudden rupture of trade and cooperation agreements that have been in force for decades.

    Following its rejection three times by parliament, Johnson has demanded changes to the Withdrawal Agreement, especially over new arrangements with the bloc for the border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

    But weeks of talks since Johnson took power have made little headway, and British officials described the proposal to be unveiled on Wednesday as a final offer.

    The Telegraph newspaper cited a briefing to European capitals to report that Britain was proposing to leave Northern Ireland in a special trading relationship with the EU until 2025, after which Belfast would decide whether to remain aligned to the bloc or return to following British rules.

    The newspaper said London was proposing that Northern Ireland leave the EU customs union at the end of the transition period in 2021 alongside Britain, which would move directly into a Free Trade Agreement with Europe.

    Customs checks would take place at a distance from the Ireland-Northern Ireland border – which will have become the border of the EU’s tariff-free internal market.

    A senior British government official said: “The government is either going to be negotiating a new deal or working on ‘no deal’ — nobody will work on delay.”

    “We will keep fighting to respect the biggest democratic vote in British history.

    “The EU is obliged by EU law only to negotiate with member state governments, they cannot negotiate with parliament, and this government will not negotiate delay.”

    Johnson is gambling that, by taking a hard line on Brexit, he will steal votes from others such as the Brexit Party, led by veteran euroskeptic Nigel Farage, at an election widely expected to come before the end of the year.

    He also has the main opposition Labour Party in his sights, and will use his speech to attack its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who has led efforts to try to block a ‘no-deal’ Brexit. (Reuters/NAN)

  • Army steps up operations against terrorists, criminal elements nationwide

    The Nigerian Army says it has stepped up operations nationwide to ensure a peaceful and conducive atmosphere for all citizens and residents during the peak of the year.

    Col. Aminu Iliyasu, Army Operations Media Coordinator disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Iliyasu said that troops in the various operational theatres across the country had continued to decimate and frustrate activities of criminal elements in line with the resolve of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.

    He also disclosed that the Sector 3 supported by the Air Task Force of the Operation Lafiya Dole had successfully repelled an attack on Gubio in Borno between Sunday and Tuesday.

    According to him, two insurgents were neutralised, while one gun truck, two AK-47 rifles and one anti aircraft gun were recovered.

    “Additionally, 51 civilians hitherto held hostage by the criminals were rescued during the encounter.

    “The troops continue to dominate the area with fighting/clearing patrols, ambush, raids as well as cordon and search operations.

    “Similarly, troops, acting on timely information also arrested four male suspects with large consignments of dried fish intended for delivery to the criminal insurgents.

    “All four suspects are currently undergoing interrogation where they are giving useful information,’’ he said.

    Iliyasu said the troops also arrested a pickup truck conveying three adult females, 15 adult males and three rustled cows during a clearance operation at Mada in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno.

    He said that the claim by the suspects that they were of the Shuwa extraction was refuted by the locals in the area, adding that none of the suspects could speak any of the local languages.

    Iliyasu said preliminary investigation revealed that one of the suspects and a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) operating in the state had been communicating at various times.

    He added that investigation further revealed that the suspect was on WhatsApp chat platform with the NGO.

    Iliyasu said that in Yobe, troops discovered two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) along a route in Buni Gari in Gujba Local Government Area and safely donated them.

    He said that a joint operation with the police had yielded positive results in Cross River and Lagos states in recent times.

    He quoted the chief of army staff as reassuring the public of the unwavering resolve of the army to safeguard the territorial integrity of the country with the support of civil authority.

    “The Nigeria army hereby requests our good and law abiding citizens to go about their normal economic activities without fear of molestation.

    “The populace is equally requested to please assist the army with any useful information that will assist in our operational efforts aimed at ridding the society of criminal elements and other miscreants,” he said.

    NAN

  • Navy begins enlistment for Direct Service

    The Nigerian Navy has commenced the enlistment of graduates and HND holders into the Direct Short Service Commission.

    Navy Director of Information, Commodore Suleman Dahun, announced this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Dahun said interested applicants, who must be Nigerians by birth, should possess a minimum of Second Class Upper Division for first degree holders and Upper Credit for HND holders.

    “Male applicants must not be less than 1.68 metres tall while female applicants must not be less than 1.65 metres in height.

    “Applicants must possess NYSC Discharge/Exemption Certificate and should be between 22 and 28 years by Feb. 20, 2020,

    “Except for Imams, Chaplains and Medical Consultants who should not exceed 30 years and 40 years respectively by Feb. 20, 2020,” he said.

    Dahun said guidelines for the enlistment could be accessed on the Nigerian Navy Enlistment Portal: www.joinnigeriannavy.com.

    He said the portal will remain open till Nov. 14, 2019 for interested candidates to apply online.

    “Candidates are to note that all the processes ranging from online registration, aptitude test and the selection interview are free of charge,” he said.

    He advised candidates to be wary of scammers and refrain from giving money to any individual under any guise.

    NAN

  • Independence Day Dinner: Osinbajo entertains guests to “Nigerian swag’’

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday at a dinner organised in commemoration of Nigeria’s 59th Independence Anniversary at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja, thrilled the guests with visual descriptions of attributes that make Nigerians outstanding.

    Osinbajo, who spoke on a lighter note, said that one of the distinct attributes of the Nigerian person was the `Nigerian Swag.’

    He described `Nigerian swag’ as that uniquely confident way that made Nigerians to stand out everywhere and in everything they did.

    Osinbajo, who got the guests laughing and clapping intermittently, cited the sport called Bobsled and presented a power point video of Nigerians girls dancing at the Winter Olympics.

    “They thought only white people could do this because it is a winter sport; if you don’t have winter and snow in your country you can’t be a bobsled champion.

    “Well, so they thought until the Nigerians came to the Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang South Korea, three Nigerian girls.

    “ Seun Adigun, Ngozi onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga the first Africans in Bobsled at the Winter Olympics.

    “They raced into history in style and they ended it with dance.

    “How else would you know that they are Nigerians.’’

    He said that the World Cup came in May 2018; but well before the World Cup kicked off, Nigeria had started winning.

    Osinbajo recalled that when Nike released the design of Nigeria’s jersey called Naija in Feb. 2018, three million people pre-ordered the Jersey for 90 dollar a piece on line.

    He said that eventually thousands of people lined up to buy  the jersey and  it sold out in the  stores within hours.

    “The jersey was lit; so lit that we won the first prize for the best dressed team, Peru came second and Belgium came third.’’

    The vice president listed the quality and prowess of Nigerian boxer, Anthony Joshua, Nigerian wedding, dance and language as some other aspects of Nigerian uniqueness.

    “And then there is Anthony Joshua, as far as we are concerned the best boxer in the world not only is he a heavy hitter– he could also pass for a model;  so much Swag.

    “How about the Nigerian wedding, it has become the toast of the world, among other things, we are teaching the world that every wedding deserves a hashtag.

    “ #Baad 2017, for BankyW and Adesuwa Etomi, #YemiandDolly 1989 or #Dolyem 1989 , that’s me and my lovely wife,  to  the dramatic entrance of the bridal party,  and see the groom flying and of course, the Aso Ebi.

    “And everywhere, they are learning our languages; everywhere, here is a kindergarten class in China; the children are learning Igbo; very soon, everyone is going to be speaking Igbo.

    “Our contemporary dances have so much swag from skelewu to sekem to shakiti bobo, sakusaku  and the most recent, Zanku, I am sure you all know how to  gbe se ..gbe se .to gbe body e.

    “It is now gbe se,  gbe se,  all over the world; nobody dances like us; it doesn’t matter whether you are the distinguished senator representing Kogi west or the distinguished senator representing Osun West.’’

    Osinbajo also listed one of the richest men in Africa, Aliko Dangote, President Muhammadu Buhari, former President Olusegun Obasanjo as among those who carry Nigerian swag with their dance steps.

    According to him, when it comes to fashion, Nigerians are the  masters  of style.

    “From the geles, and look at what Iya rainbow is wearing, and of course the famous Madam Kofo’s gele.

    “Nigerians brought Ankara to mainstream fashion.

    “So Nigerian designers are making waves internationally with the infusion of Ankara in their collections.

    “And the likes of Lisa Folawiyo,  Mackie O, Andrew Iyamah, Kenneth Ize, Mowa Ogunlesi, have been featured in Vogue and other international fashion magazines and events such as the New York fashion week.

    “The Nigerian-American designer Ena Udemba designed Beyoncé’s drop dead gorgeous Ankara outfit; today the whole world is wearing our Ankara; from Michelle Obama, Rihana and Kim Kardashian, ‘’ he said.

    He also displayed Buhari featuring with his `trade mark black  kaftan’  describing him as  the number one man with the swag.

    Earlier, in his remark, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, thanked those who contributed directly or indirectly toward the success of the 59th Independence celebration.

    He said that the administration was determined to build on the foundation for change laid in the last four years.

    The dinner featured performances by cultural troupes drawn from different states.

    It attracted notable Nigerians including Maryam Abacha, Wife of former Head of State, Sani Abacha, a former Chief of General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Oladipo Diya (rtd)  and former Vice President, Namadi Sambo.

    Also present were Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, service chiefs, members of the Federal Executive Council, members of the diplomatic corps, captains of industries among others.

    NAN

  • El-Rufa’i keeps promise, enrols son in public primary school

    Gov. Nasir El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State on Monday enrolled his six-year-old child, Abubakar into primary one in Capital School Malali, Kaduna, a public school, in fulfillment of a promise he made in 2017.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that El-Rufa’i had in a state broadcast in December 2017, promised to enroll his child in a public school when he turns six years.

    “The move is part of reforms to revamp public schools in the state to make them more competitive.

    “We are determined to fix public education and raise their standards so that private education will become only a luxury.

    “As we make progress, we will require our senior officials to enroll their children in public schools.

    “And I will by personal example ensure that my son that will be six years of age in 2019 will be enrolled in a public school in Kaduna State, by God’s grace,” El-Rufa’i had said.

    Briefing newsmen shortly after he enrolled the child, El-Rufa’i explained that it was a commitment that had been fulfilled.

    “I made that commitment because I believe that it is only when all political leaders have their children in public schools that we will pay due attention to quality of public education.

    “I went to a public school like this. In fact, the school I went to is not as good as this one, but here I am, because of the quality teaching I got.

    “My intention is to ensure that all our public schools offer quality education, and so we are encouraging all our senior public servants to send their children to public schools.

    “Once the public schools are improved to a point they are nearly as good or even better than private schools, no one will waste his money taking his child to private school,” he said.

    Ummi El-Rufa’i, the mother of the child said: “l am glad that we are able to send a strong message to our leaders and the elites, that we need to start making things work from within our homes.

    “By the time we start attending public hospitals and send our children to public schools, the system will get better. This is a very huge step,” she said.

    On his part, the little child said: “I am sad that I will miss my old school, my friends and my teachers. But I have to help my father keep his promise” .

    NAN

  • Nigerians have wrong impression about GMOs – Biosafety boss

    By Okeoghene Akubuike
    Dr Rufus Egbeba, the Director General, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has debunked the notion about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), saying people have the wrong impression about the products.

    Egbeba made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.

    He said that presently, all the food people consumed had been altered one way or the other, either through conventional breeding methods or through genetic engineering.

    “Genetic engineering is an advanced alteration which is basically the movement of one gene of interest into another organism to perform a particular function.’’

    He said that the conventional breeding method of tissue culture, budding and grafting involved one gene or another being moved into related specie.

    He said that genetic engineering went beyond related specie, as gene could be moved from animal to plant and from plant to animal.

    “Let me say that most of the crops we have presently in our farms and the markets have actually been altered in one or the other by scientific process.

    “Either through conventional breeding methods or the few ones that we have that are genetically modified, those ones have been screened for safety.

    “So the fear of whether GMOs is harmful or not should not be there because we ensure they are safe before they are released into the market.’’

    Egbeba also debunked the idea that some crops had been genetically modified in Nigeria like the Nigerian pawpaw, orange and mango, saying that they had only been improved upon through conventional breeding method.

    “So, the few ones we have that are genetically modified are not yet on commercial level in the country like the cotton and cowpea; there are still other processes that are ongoing before they get into the market on commercial scale.”

    The director general said one of the major developments in the biosafety sector was the new act signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in July, which is an amendment to the 2015 Act.

    He said that the amendment was an additional mandate to the agency to accommodate the regulation of emerging aspects of biotechnology in the area of synthetic biology, genome editing and gene drive and bio-security.

    He said the agency had also received an application from Institute of Agricultural Research, Zaria on Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA).

    WEMA is a public private partnership that was formed to develop drought-tolerant maize for use by smallholder farmers and Confined Field Trials (CFT), which are already being conducted on it in some countries like Kenya and Uganda.

    CFT are small scale field experiments to evaluate the performance of a GM plant.

    Egbeba said the applications were being reviewed by the agency and the results would be posted on the agency’s website, adding that there would be a public notice before the process was completed.

    He said the agency was constantly monitoring applicants – that is the institutions and the GM crops that were undergoing CFT in the country, such as the BT cotton and the PBR cowpea.

    “We do a lot of monitoring; what we do is inspection and compliance to ensure that the terms and conditions are properly complied with.

    “We send some staff to visit the institutions to ensure they are complying with our terms and conditions and the law.’’

    The biosafety boss assured Nigerians that the agency would continue to ensure that no unsafe GMO would be allowed into the environment.

    He, however said that the fear of GMOs would be there for a long time because of those who deliberately create it “and those also excising the fear because of ignorance’’.

    “We want to assure Nigerians that the practice of modern biotechnology will be safe before we will allow the products into the environment, the market or for consumption by Nigerians.

    “NBMA is here to ensure Nigerians are protected from any harmful effects of GMOs, we are also going to make sure that our environment is also protected, we have that responsibility and we will discharge it for the interest of the country,’’ Egbeba.

    NAN