Appointment of new board of NABDA excites Director General

The Director General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof Abdullahi Mustapha, has expressed confidence that the agency would advance and thrive following the inauguration of its new board members.

Mustapha made this known at the inaugural meeting of the new NABDA Governing Board in Abuja, on Thursday.

The 11-man board of NABDA was among the 12 boards and councils of agencies under the ministry, inaugurated by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu.

“It is indicative that these people are coming here to work, they are coming here to synergise and promote the cause of biotech in the country.”

”With these, it shows that NABDA has its second governing council board and this governing board is going to continue from where the previous one stopped,” the NABDA helmsman said.

Mustapha observed that the new board members were progressive minded, with the belief that they would work together as a team to surmount and proffer solutions to the challenges of the agency.

He said as a research institution, the primary challenge of the agency was funding, expressing his hope that with the new hands on board, the agency would rise up to the challenge.

“When funding is provided, researchers will be able to conduct research freely, provide results and that is going to be a milestone,” he said.

The DG noted that the provision of resources would create an enabling environment, meaning that there would be equipment in their laboratories and trainings, which would catapult the agency to greater heights.

He said that what comes out of the laboratory of the agency would impact the lives of ordinary Nigerians positively.

The Chairman of the Board of NABDA, Clement Ebri, said that what they brought to the table was advancement of the cause of the agency.

Represented by Chief Livinus Opuakpa, Member, South South, Ebri said that they were result oriented people, hoping to surpass the achievements of the previous board members by building on their achievements.

“We want to assure you that we are not taking this task for granted. Our focus is to see what we will leave behind after our tenure and we are going to make sure we outperform the previous board, because we are progressive.”

“If we come to be at par with them that means we have done nothing. They have done so much so we have to build on that,” Ebri said.