The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), in partnership with the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), has launched plans to implement a robust safety and health security policy in significant efforts to strengthen national security.
The inauguration was a critical moment, as stakeholders and development partners gathered to address the imperative of ensuring national safety.
NBMA further emphasised its role in implementing a comprehensive safety and security policy as it reiterated its unwavering commitment to transforming Nigeria into a secure nation.
The Director General/CEO of NBMA, Dr Agnes Yemisi Asagbara, in her speech while inaugurating the National Advisory Council on Biosecurity (NACB) and the National Technical Working Group on Biosecurity (NTWGB) in Abuja, emphasised the role of tenacity and commitment in advancing Nigeria’s interests across diverse sectors, including security, food security, animal health, and the environment.
She said: “The inauguration of two committees, the technical committee and the advisory committee, is a strategic move to enhance the goals of the biosecurity policy.”
The Coordinator of AHBN, Dr Aminu Magashi Garba, reiterated the commitments made at the 2021 COVID-19 Summit conference and emphasised the importance of engaging in the biosecurity agenda.
Garba, therefore, urged development partners to support the government in implementing the biosecurity policy and action plan over the next five years.
“We are glad that the Advisory Council and TWG are now inaugurated for the Biosecurity Policy and Action Plan. We sincerely hope development partners will key in and support the government in implementing it.” He added.
Also, the Nigerian National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Chairman of the National Biosecurity Advisory Committee (NBAC), Nuhu Ribadu, who was represented by the
The significance of national security was reiterated by the principal staff officer at ONSA, Pamela West, who appreciated the evolving nature of donor partnerships and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to the committee’s responsibilities.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment and Chairman of the National Technical Working Group (NBTWG), Mahmud Kambarlin, underscored the importance of collaborative efforts to implement and achieve the objectives of the new policy.
Kambarlin also disclosed the committee’s first assignment while urging partners to organise a training session for members to fully grasp the intricacies of the policy.
“With effective collaboration, the group would successfully implement the policy.”
The Acting Director of the Biosecurity Department of NBMA, Dr. Agah Agah, while presenting an overview of the National Biosecurity Policy and Action Plan, said the issues of biosecurity cut across various ecosystems in Nigeria and its related activities. Hence, the need for effective facilitation and collaboration is paramount.
“The NBP&AP was developed to address biosecurity coordination and set the overall direction for managing its activities in Nigeria,” he said.
Agah said a national biosecurity policy is now in the implementation phase, and it is important to implement all 24 thematic areas of the policy for the nation to be biosecured.
“All stakeholders are now expected to put in all efforts to ensure that this policy is implemented,” He added.
. TheWitness
