The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the Biological Weapons Convention, which prohibits the development, production, acquisition, and retention of biological weapons.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume spoke at a stakeholders’ forum on the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention in Nigeria, organised by the National Authority on Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions (NAC&BWC) and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA).
A statement yesterday by the Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Segun Imohiosen, said the commitment is in line with international efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The government has established an Inter-Ministerial Council (IMC) comprising 42 members from various ministries, departments, agencies, private sectors, and academia, to provide policy guidance and direction on issues related to the Biological Weapon Convention implementation.
The statement reads: “The Federal Government has re-affirmed its commitment to implement the tenets of the Biological Weapons Convention by not developing, producing, acquiring or retaining biological weapons in line with the international community’s efforts to address the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.