Leading geneticists have slammed the Federal Government for failing to prioritize the development of a national genetic database, a tool they say is essential for both public health and crime fighting.
Emeritus Prof. Olufunmilayo Adebambo and Prof. Ikhide Imumorin stressed that the absence of a comprehensive database makes tasks like the early diagnosis of terminal diseases and the effective use of fingerprints to track criminals a “tall order.”
Adebambo retired from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), while Imumorin is from California State University Biotechnology Program, US.
The experts shared their concerns during an appearance on the popular online interview discourse, Boiling Point Arena.
The current affairs programme, hosted by a media professional, Dr Ayo Arowojolu, was transmitted via Zoom and broadcast live on six radio stations, chaired by frontline traditional ruler, the Olówu of Owu, Oba (Prof.) Saka Matemilola.
According to the experts, the much-needed genetic database can never materialize without the Federal Government funding researches leading to a population-based genetic analysis based on DNA testing.
The topic of discourse was, “Genetic Revelations: Understanding the Conundrum of Paternity Conflicts in Modern Families”
Adebambo, who is acclaimed as Nigeria’s first female Professor of Animal Breeding, Genetics and Biotechnology, said Nigeria still has a long way to go as the database signposts a major foundation for many developmental needs of the country.
She said: “At creation, God already standardized genetic makeup of every human being and animal. If anybody has lived on this planet, the bone can tell us about the DNA, about the genetic makeup. The hair, even the nail can give us the genetic makeup, the immune genes, because it’s already programmed by God.
“The immune genes are created by God and are genetically inherited to control our disease system. Even diseases are inherited. Everything about our inheritance are already coded right from the beginning of our existence.
“Right now in Nigeria, there is a dire need for human genetic database like they have in the USA and Europe especially for criminal tendencies. So you can’t escape if you are a criminal because the moment you enter those countries, they will take your fingerprints and the fingerprints are already loaded in the database.
“The database is what we are lacking in Nigeria. But, before we can say we need the database, the government has not really funded genetic research. God will help us in Nigeria.
“It has become very important for us in Nigeria to begin to look at our DNA, our genetic inheritance, every cell in our body and our hormone system are all coded.
“The database will greatly improve our health system. Our system can be personalized individually even up to drugs. There are certain drugs you can use that some other people cannot use. It also determine blood transfusion issues”
On his part, Prof. Imumorin lamented that there has never been any proper population-based
genetic analysis in Nigeria stemming from any rigorous scientific survey.
His words: “The impact of genetic testing in medical applications cannot be over-emphasized. We are looking into a world in the US and in many other advanced countries where many therapies can now be personalized.
“So if you’re a patient, maybe, for cancer treatment, rheumatoid arthritis or some kind of neurological treatment like Parkinson’s disease or paranoid Schizophrenia or multiple Sclerosis, there are a number of things out there for which they now have very, very good testing.
“What that means is they will take your DNA and they will analyze your DNA to get your profile. And that profile, which is personality to you, will now be used as a basis to find a very particular therapy that is tailored to that particular profile.
“I’ve lived in the US for a very long time. Here, there’s a system that works to avert the issue of baby swapping or switching. They make use of appropriate tags which are put on the baby and same on the mother right from the labour room.
“And so, between the time the baby is actually born and the time the mother and baby are discharged, there is a window of time when the baby is in the nursery. It’s like a Big place where they have all these beds lined up side by side where they put all the babies.”
Imumorin appealed to the Federal Government to urgently prioritize the issues of databases critical to the developmental progress of Nigeria.
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