Abuja, Nigeria (CU)_ Prof Abdullahi Mustapha, Director-General (D-G) of the National Biotechnology Development Agency or NABDA, has highlighted the agency’s intention to consolidate the benefits of biotechnology investment in order to improve the lives of Nigerians. Abdullahi made the remarks during the valedictory service for Prof. Chukwuemeka Omaliko, the pioneer Director-General of NABDA, at the NABDA headquarters in Abuja.
Abdullahi stated that biotechnology has major applications in food and material production, as well as medicinal developments. He emphasized that NABDA, as a research organization, had several initiatives and programs in the works that would improve the lives of Nigerians, particularly the poor. According to him, any project that emerges from the agency’s laboratories would benefit the country significantly and will help the agency accomplish its goal.
While paying tribute to the late Omaliko, Abdullahi stated that the pioneering director-general was the creator of NABDA, and taking into account the magnitude of his accomplishments, he deserved to be celebrated. He asserted that by adding to Omaliko’s accomplishments, he will propel the agency to new heights of success for the benefit of Nigerians. According to him, the late pioneer Director-General assembled individuals from inside and outside the nation who were influential in the field of national biotechnology.
Mustapha said, “He linked the agency with so many important organizations that are the pillars of biotechnology in the country and outside. There is therefore no better man to celebrate than Prof Omaliko, considering his works’’. Dr. Rufus Egbeda, Director-General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), stated that death is a level reached by all humans and that the true measure of a man is his influence on other humans while living. He paid tribute to the late Omaliko, stating that he was essential in founding NABDA, which provided employment for over 3,000 people.
Additionally, Egbeda admitted that NABDA had a critical role in the establishment of his biosafety organization. Professor Alex Akpa, the former interim director-general of the NABDA, also listed Omaliko’s accomplishments and referred to him as a detribalized Nigerian. According to NABDA, biotechnology would benefit Nigerians in numerous ways.
