Sharon Ikeazor (Minister of State for Environment) says that the national biosecurity program will help to prevent the release and spread of pathogens and toxic substances that can be harmful to the environment and health.
Ikeazor stated this during Tuesday’s unveiling and presentation in Abuja of the national policy and action plan for biosecurity.
She said that the policy will also be used to control and prevent naturally occurring infectious illnesses. She also stated that biosecurity is a necessity in light of the threat posed by climate change.
It is concerned with preventing the theft, misuse, diversion, or intentional release of pathogens, chemicals, and other assets against humans, animals and plants. She said that the plan also includes measures to prevent emerging and naturally occurring infectious diseases.
Biosecurity is more important than ever today because of the increasing threat of climate change, which is changing the range, habitats, and spreads of pests & diseases.
It is estimated that zoonotic diseases, which are transmitted from animals to humans, account approximately 60% of all infectious diseases in humans and 75 percent for all new and emerging diseases.
She said that to address environmental destruction and implement the biosafety strategy, it requires a collaborative approach. All hands must be involved in order to achieve its mandate.
She stated that the ministry will ensure adequate budgetary provision for implementing stakeholders to enable them to achieve their biosecurity roles.
She said that it was impossible to address the threats posed by pathogens that jump from animals to people and the destruction of the environment by just one sector.
All implementing ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), are required to work together to implement the policy.
Given the importance of biosecurity as a national priority, we must also unite our efforts at management level to ensure a better budgeting and funding mechanism for achieving our strategic plans.
We, the ministry, will, as a focal point, advocate for adequate budgetary provision for different implementing MDAs to ensure that they fulfill their biosecurity mandates.
Rufus Ebegba director-general National Biosafety Management AgencyAccording to, the policy is essential in minimizing biological threats to humans.
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