Former governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki, Wednesday urged President Goodluck Jonathan, to as a matter of urgency, assent to Agricultural Biotechnology Bill earlier passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly.

Saraki, who represents Kwara Central in the Senate and a member of Senate Committee on Agriculture, said in observance of Jonathan’s transformation agenda, signing the bill into law would compliment the federal government's efforts to ensure food security and food sufficiency.

A statement by Saraki's Special Adviser on Media, Bankole Omisore, said: "As a matter of fact, the benefits of signing the bill into law by Mr. President are numerous. These include: regulating the safe application of biotechnology in Nigeria, harnessing benefits in fields of agriculture, medical, environment sustainability and industrial growth.

“Further to this, the law will promote technological and material transfer for research collaboration and commercialisation in biotechnology."

The passage of Agricultural Biotechnology (Biosafety Bill) by the National Assembly followed the emergence of biotechnology as a powerful tool aimed at increasing agricultural productivity in many countries.

The statement noted that since 1996, biotechnology-driven crops have been commercially planted adding that their adoption increased steadily as about 8.5 million farmers in 21 countries were now plant them.

The statement added that, "considering the imperative of promoting the development and deployment of appropriate technology to ensure food security, biosafety law has been advised to be in place. That is, safety first. Excellence in biotechnology is a natural corollary of biosafety, especially in agriculture."

Saraki, who is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, noted that "majority of African countries have developed their biosafety while all over the world, scientists who recognise the benefits of this technology have been in the forefront of the call for safety and regulation of activities in the field of biotechnology. Therefore, the need for Mr. President to assent to the bill in the interest of our nation and the attendant economic and employment opportunities that come with it."