BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Committed to the protection of the environment and human health, the federal government has approved a 5-year biosecurity policy and action plan for Nigeria, expected to run from 2022–2026.
Minister of State for the Environment, Chief Sharon Ikeazor said the approval was endorsed yesterday at the special session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.
The policy was specially designed to protect the environment and human health from harmful biological agents, as well as guarantee socio-economic development for Nigerians.
A statement made available to newsmen in Abuja today by the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Environment, Saghir el Mohammed, highlighted that the policy will foster an integrated and holistic biosecurity strategy that will be implemented through One-health approach for the prevention, early detection, rapid response to biothreats and recovery from biosecurity incidents.
It will also provide an opportunity for stakeholders to synergise for the effective implementation of biosecurity plans, just as it will lead to the harmonisation of all agreements, conventions, guidelines and other instruments on biosecurity.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in July 2019 assented to the ammended National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Act, 2015, which mandated the NBMA to put in place measures for biosecurity in Nigeria.
The minister explained that, “After going through several reviews, that stakeholders validated the draft National Biosecurity Policy and Action Plan in September 2021, before it was presented to the FEC for approval".
“We are very pleased with this approval in the environment sector, which gives the country a proper comprehensive and workable document to tackle biosecurity issues and ensure that bio-threats are properly contained and even eliminated”.
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