CASER Halts Probe into NBMA DG Appointment After Appeal by Former Agency Head

The Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER) has announced the suspension of its planned probe and legal challenge against the appointment of the Director General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA).
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, CASER said it came under intense pressure to abandon its investigation into the appointment, which it had earlier questioned on the grounds that the agency should be headed by a professional with at least a master’s degree in biological sciences or a related discipline.
The group maintained that the NBMA, like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), is a highly specialised institution that should be led by a qualified scientist. It noted that the newly appointed DG, Bello Bwari Bello, is known as a lawyer, administrator and politician.
CASER said it had expected intellectual debate on the issue but was instead met with resistance, indifference and ridicule, including warnings from some members of the scientific community that it was “fighting a lost battle.”
The organisation disclosed that it had concluded arrangements to challenge the appointment at the Federal High Court and had prepared the necessary court processes. However, it said its position changed following what it described as the “direct and weighty intervention” of former NBMA Director General, Rufus Ebegba.
According to the statement, Ebegba repeatedly appealed to the group to discontinue all disputes over the appointment. CASER said it could not ignore the request, noting that much of its involvement and credibility in Nigeria’s biosafety and biotechnology sector was made possible through Ebegba’s support during his tenure.
The organisation explained that although it still believed its concerns touched on issues of legality, standards and institutional integrity, it felt bound by honour and loyalty to heed the former DG’s request.
CASER therefore announced that it would halt any further probe, legal challenge or public dispute over the appointment, stressing that the decision was not due to lack of arguments but out of respect for its relationship with Ebegba.
The statement was signed by the Executive Director of CASER, Frank Tietie.