A professor of microbiology who started her career at the Ahmadu Bello University, (ABU), Zaria, Lucy Jumeyi Ogbadu is the Acting Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency, (NABDA).
She is very passionate about the relevance of biotechnology in agriculture and safety of biotechnology products.
The describes biotechnology as the technology of selecting varieties of crops, breeds of livestock that show better appearance and traits out of a lot and ensuring their propagation is biotechnology. She is currently encouraging farmers to take up improved varieties of crops, in the area of accepting the technology in general through serious advocacy programmes nationwide and by developing bio-fertilisers that are more acceptable to the generality of humanity than those ones that are difficult to come by. The efforts are to ensure that farmers and practitioners in agriculture are exposed to technologies that can help them improve their yields.
On the Concerns being raised about Genetically Modified Organisms, GMO, including crops and livestock, as a biological scientist she said that there is no cause for alarm at all. According to her “there is no new technology that has come without attendant opposition to it. You know, every new idea, you will find people that will rise up against it. Biotechnology is nothing new. I want to say that this opposition is borne mainly out of ignorance. Ignorance of the science that is behind the technology. Once a good understanding is there, there is no cause for alarm at all.”
She pointed out that there is no new product of biotechnology that takes less than 10 years to come out, which implies that a lot of caution, a lot of work, a lot of studies go into the technology before a product is released. Any biotechnology product in the market must have gone through rigorous research work before they are brought out.
She nevertheless disclosed that her agency has not produced any genetically modified food because bio-safety bill is yet to be passed. She appealed to Nigerians, especially the farmers to embrace the technology so that they can move forward in terms of addressing our food deficit challenges.
The recent appointment of Professor Lucy Jumeyi Ogbadu as the Acting Director-General of National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) was sequel to the expiration of the tenure of Professor Bamidele Ogbe Solomon.
Born on 25th September, 1953 in Idah, Kogi State, Professor Ogbadu obtained her first, second and PhD degrees in Microbiology from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and became a Professor in 1996.A prolific writer, Professor Ogbadu has contributed immensely to knowledge and scholarship. She has over 40 published scholarly articles to her credit and has delivered not less than 70 seminar and conference papers. She is a recipient of many awards, prizes and honors among which is the Hesperian Foundation Grant.
The Acting Director-General is not just an academic concerned only with ivory tower issues but also a grass root scientist committed to rendering service through community based organizations namely Society for Women and Aids in Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello University Alumni Revitalization Committee, International Inner Wheel Club and was one-time Chairperson , Igala Education Foundation Summit Planning Committee.
Professor Ogbadu is widely travelled and has actively participated in many international programmes like FAO/China Tour on food and Agricultural programmes in Jiangsu-China, Nigeria/South Africa Bi-national meeting in Pretoria, South Africa and Africa Codex Experts Technical Meeting on Food Hygiene (AU-IBAR) Nairobi, Kenya.
She is happily married and blessed with four children.
