The Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights (CASER), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has filed a freedom of information (FOI) request seeking the disclosure of academic and professional qualifications of Bello Bwari, director-general of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA).
The request, submitted to the federal ministry of environment, comes amid concerns that Bwari, a lawyer by training, may not have met the statutory requirements for the role.
The group said section 5 of the NBMA Act mandates that the agency’s helmsman must hold at least a master’s degree in biological sciences or a related field.
The NGO’s FOI request seeks to compel Balarabe Lawal, the minister of environment, to verify Bwari’s qualifications and provide transparency on his appointment.
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The group added that the outcome could set a precedent for accountability in regulatory agencies, particularly those tasked with public health, environmental protection, and biotechnology governance.
Frank Tietie, human rights lawyer and founder of CASER, described the situation as a “shameful silence” from Nigeria’s scientific community.
In his opinion piece titled ‘Biosafety Without Scientists: The Deafening Silence of Nigeria’s Scientific Community is Shameful’, Tietie argued that the appointment undermines public confidence in biosafety governance and exposes a troubling apathy among professionals in the biological sciences.
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“The appointment of Mr Bwari is not merely ill-advised; it is illegal,” Tietie wrote.
“It mocks the NBMA Act and strips biosafety regulation of its scientific soul. Silence in the face of illegality is not neutrality; it is complicity.”
