Connect with us

News

FG unveils national biosecurity policy on health, environmental safety

Published

on

National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) logo
Share

The Federal Government on Tuesday unveiled a National Biosecurity Policy and Action Plan, 2022 to 2026, to secure the health of Nigerians and their immediate environments from biological threats.

Chief Sharon Ikeazor, Minister of State for Environment, who unveiled the policy in Abuja, said that the policy would help to sustain socio-economic development across the country.

The Unveiling and Public Presentation of the National Biosecurity Policy and Action Plan (NBP&AP), 2022-2026, was organised by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA).

Ikeazor said that biosecurity is a strategic and integrated approach that encompasses the policy and regulatory frameworks.

She said that the framework includes instruments and activities that analyse and manage risks in the sectors of food safety, animal life and health, plant life and health which associated environmental risk.

“It focuses on preventing the loss, theft, misuse, diversion or intentional release of pathogens, toxins, and other related assets against humans, animals, plants and the environment.

“It also focuses on putting measures in place to mitigate naturally occurring and emerging infectious diseases.

“Biosecurity is more important today than ever before due to the increasing threats of climate change which is altering the range, habitats and spreads of pests and diseases.

“It is estimated that zoonotic infections, transmitted from animal hosts to humans, account for approximately 60 per cent of total infectious diseases in humans, and 75 per cent of all new and emerging infectious diseases.

“The threats posed by pathogens jumping from animals to humans as well as the destruction of the environment cannot be effectively addressed by one sector alone,’’ she said.

Ikeazor said that the development of the policy recognised that a collaborative, multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary approach is key to the mitigation of bio-threats and the success of any national biosecurity intervention.

She noted that the policy is strategically designed as a five-year plan with the intent to identify other several evolving actions that may have not been captured in the document when commencing the implementation.

“Therefore, all implementing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are tasked to put all hands on deck to ensure that we effectively implement the policy.

“The MDAs should also help support the ministry through the NBMA in evaluating how well we have done in the biosecurity sector, as well proffer critical way forward for the next review of the policy.

“The obligation in the implementation of this policy is that we play our specific roles and synergistically work with each other in line with our respective mandates.

“The mandates are guaranteeing a strong aggregation and unified efforts that will strengthen Nigeria’s National Biosecurity System.

“We must also aggregate our efforts at managerial level in ensuring an improved budgeting and funding mechanism in achieving our strategic plans considering the fact that biosecurity is now a national priority.

“We at the ministry as focal point will as much as we can, consistently advocate for adequate budgetary provisions for different implementing MDAs to help achieve their specific biosecurity roles in line with their mandates,’’ the minister said.

Dr Rufus Ebegba, Director-General of NBMA, said that the draft biosecurity policy and action plan, developed by the agency, institutionalised a harmonised and workable biosecurity system.

Ebegba said that the policy is a fundamental approach to minimising the risks of biological threats to the environment, human health, animal and plants.

He said that the agency`s activity was delivered through a one-health-approach agriculture, environment and human health with full knowledge that bio-threat prevention and control require effective collaboration between relevant stakeholders.

He, however, thanked the minister and other stakeholders for making the policy a reality.

The director-general said that the agency, with collaboration of other relevant stakeholders, would as well ensure that the policy is effectively implemented.

Mr Kevin Tokar, Acting High Commissioner of Canada in Nigeria, said that his country would continue to partner with Nigeria to strengthen the national and regional biosecurity capabilities.

Tokar said that the Canadian government had contributed more than US$ 8 million to strengthen Nigeria`s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to biological threats.

According to him, “our support includes the construction, operation and maintenance of bio-containment laboratories in Lagos and at the National Veterinary Research Institute in Vom, Plateau State.

“Our government will continued its commitment to strengthening biosecurity and health security capacities in Nigeria as well as Africa,” he said.

(NAN)

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Tinubu Seeks Senate Nod For Seven New Ministers

Published

on

President Bola Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Share

 

 

 

Tinubu Seeks Senate Nod For Seven New Ministers

 

President Bola Tinubu has written to the Senate to approve the nomination of seven individuals who have been appointed as ministers in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Tinubu’s request is detailed in a letter directed to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, which was presented during the plenary session on Thursday.

Tinubu, in the letter, listed the nominees to include: Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, Muhammadu Dingyadi, Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Mukhtar Maiha, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata and Dr Suwaiba Ahmad.

Akpabio, thereafter, referred the request to the committee of the whole for expeditious consideration.

The nominees are expected to bring valuable experience and expertise to their respective roles, contributing to the country’s development and progress.

Recall that the president had on Wednesday reshuffled his cabinet.

President Bola Tinubu made a major shake-up in his cabinet by nominating Bianca Ojukwu for ministerial position while dismissing six Ministers from his cabinet.

In conjunction with this shake-up, he has also submitted seven ministerial nominees to the National Assembly to fill the newly vacant positions.

The Ministers that were relieved from the cabinet were Prof. Tahir Mamman, (Education), Uju Kennedy Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Mohammed Gwarzo (State for Housing), Jamila Ibrahim (Youth Development), Lola Ade-John (Tourism) and the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, who has been replaced.

 

 

 

 

 

Continue Reading

News

Tinubu, FEC Scrap Niger Delta, Sports Development Ministries

Published

on

FEC In Session
Share

President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) have scrapped the Niger Delta Ministry, and the Ministry of Sports Development.

The decisions were taken on Wednesday at the meeting of the FEC in Abuja, as seen on the X handle of the Special Adviser Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga.

There will now be a Ministry of Regional Development to oversee all the Regional Development Commissions, such as the Niger Delta Development Commission, North West Development Commission, South West Development Commission, and the North East Development Commission.

The National Sports Commission will take over the role of the Ministry of Sports.

The FEC also approved the merger of the Ministry of Tourism with the Ministry of Culture and Creative Economy.

Despite the announcement, Onanuga did not state what would happen to the ministers in charge of the scrapped ministries, or how they would function henceforth.

The Niger Delta Ministry is being headed by Abubakar Momoh, with John Enoh being in charge of the Ministry of Sports Development.

The development comes following recent clamour for a reduction in the number of ministries and political officers in the country to reduce governance costs.

 

 

Continue Reading

News

Immigration Arrests ‘Fleeing’ Bobrisky At Seme Border

Published

on

Nigerian Immigration Service
Bobrisky
Share

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has confirmed the arrest of controversial crossdresser Idris Okuneye also known as Bobrisky at the Seme Border.

The Service in a statement on Monday night said the social media sensation was arrested while trying to flee Nigeria.

A spokesman for the Service, DCI KT Udo, described Bobrisky as a person of interest over recent issues of public concern.

Udo said, “He is undergoing interrogation and will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further action.

“The Service assures the public that it will continue to be civil and professional in its statutory responsibility of manning the country’s borders.”

A blogger, Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, had alleged in viral videos that some officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) collected ₦15 million from Bobrisky during his naira spraying ordeal in April for the anti-graft agency to drop money laundering charges against him.

After that, a court sentenced the crossdresser to six months imprisonment and he was released in August.

The blogger also alleged that Bobrisky paid some millions of naira to secure a choice place in prison.

Bobrisky has since denied the allegations while the EFCC and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) had ordered investigations into the allegations by the blogger.

The House of Representatives also waded in and invited those involved for a probe while the Federal Government suspended some NCoS senior officers.

On September 30, 2024, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, inaugurated a committee to probe allegations of gross misconduct against the NCoS.

The panel submitted its report on Monday saying the social media sensation served his six-month jail term in prison but he enjoyed several privileges including access to television and a fridge.

 

 

Continue Reading