Professor of Biotechnology, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Technology, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Prof. Olawole Obembe, has stressed the need for policy makers in the country to promote the adoption of plant biotechnology in Nigeria using the nation’s educational curriculum as a catalyst.
Obembe spoke recently while delivering the 19th inaugural lecture of the Covenant University, titled, ‘Subdue and Dominate the Earth: Plant Biotechnology for Sustainable Development’.
The university don said the development of biotechnology should be based on long term trainings rather than mere use of seminars and workshop.
He added that basic infrastructures such as plant tissue culture, molecular biology laboratories and other necessary infrastructure should be made available for universities and research institutes to encourage researchers.
The lecturer, stating that the adoption of biotechnology could positively impact the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals for nation’s good, stressed, “The impacts of plant biotechnology in some emerging economies in Asia and Latin America are glaring for all. The strategies adopted by these countries are worth replicating here also.
“It is envisioned that the availability of improved GM seed, with stacked traits of insect resistance and herbicide tolerance, would improve African agricultural productivity tremendously thereby increasing the net farm income gain in multiple folds.
“The trend, nowadays, is to stack at least two traits in one crop. Examples of such stacked-traited seeds are IR and HT maize and soybean which have been making greater impacts in terms of yields and income, thereby contributing immensely to poverty reduction (SDG 1) in communities that have embraced the technology.”
Obembe disclosed that the problem of food insecurity in the sub Saharan Africa was not as a result of insufficient food production but largely due to pervading poverty.
“With improved prosperity, poor people especially in the rural communities, will have money to provide food for the family thereby reducing hunger and malnutrition.
In addition, he said with improved income, farmers would be able to afford health care services for all thereby engendering good health and general well being of the people in line with the
SDG.
He noted, “Improved income would encourage farmers to send their children to school leading to increased access to education, especially for the girl child.
“Apart from the recent novel application of plant biotechnology to engineer plants to manufacture recombitant products (pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical) leading to new form of industry and markets and creating new employment to trained personnel, improved agricultural productivity also would lead to increase in the demand for paid labour, especially women, thereby creating new jobs for the rural
women”.
The don said the positive impacts of plant biotechnology on the five SDGs could aid the achievement of three human development capabilities leading to long and healthy lives, having access to education and achieving decent standard of living.
“None of the interventions would make any meaningful impact if there is no steady power supply, broadband internet connectivity and portable water.
“Furthermore, the Nigerian investment climate should be made more conducive to attract foreign investments as the biotechnology industry in the US has been consistently successful over three decades now.”
In addition to equipping and funding the universities and research institutes, he said the specialised Biotechnology Centres and Agencies in Nigeria such as the National Centre for Genetic Research and Biotechnology (NACGRAB); National Biotecnology Development Agency (NABDA) and Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO) should be adequately funded while the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) should be empowered to enforce its guidelines and to establish state-of-the-art certification and testing.”
