In Support of the Bill for an Act to Establish the Institute of Chartered Biochemists and Molecular Biologists of Nigeria (ICBMBN, Cap HB.1164)
Deadline for Submissions: 25th October 2025 | Submission Channel: icbmbnbill@gmail.com
Publication: Special Issue of the Nigerian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NJBMB)
Background
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) stand as the molecular foundation of life, underpinning virtually all branches of biological, medical, and allied health sciences. From nursing, medicine, and medical laboratory science to agriculture, veterinary medicine, microbiology, and biotechnology — Biochemistry forms the bedrock upon which these disciplines are built.
Despite its central role in science and national development, the practice of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Nigeria remains unregulated and professionally unprotected. The absence of legal recognition has led to increasing encroachment by other disciplines and a gradual erosion of the field’s integrity.
Legislative Milestone
The Bill for an Act to Establish the Institute of Chartered Biochemists and Molecular Biologists of Nigeria (ICBMBN, Cap HB.1164) represents a transformative step toward professional recognition and regulation of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology practice in Nigeria.
The Bill has passed its Second Reading and successfully underwent a Public Hearing on Thursday, 9th October 2025, at the National Assembly — signalling strong legislative progress.
This landmark legislation aims to:
- Protect the professional identity and practice of Biochemists and Molecular Biologists in Nigeria.
- Establish regulatory standards, ethics, and qualifications for practitioners.
- Promote innovation, research excellence, and collaboration within the BMB community.
- Align Nigeria with global norms of professional recognition as seen in other countries.
An earlier version of this Bill was passed by the National Assembly in 2018 but was declined Presidential assent due to drafting and administrative concerns. The current version addresses these gaps and represents renewed momentum for national progress.
Why the Urgency?
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology — often called the “beautiful bride of the life sciences” — face an existential threat in Nigeria. Increasingly, allied professionals who once studied a few Biochemistry courses under trained Biochemists now seek to teach or regulate Biochemistry as a subset of their fields.
Such practices, found nowhere else in the world, risk diluting the discipline’s scientific purity and undermining decades of academic and professional investment.
Globally, countries maintain autonomous professional BMB communities under strong societies and regulatory frameworks, including:
- American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
- Belgian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BSBMB)
- South African Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SASBMB)
- Korean Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (KSBMB)
- Singapore Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SSBMB)
- Federation of African Societies of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (FASBMB)
- International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB)
Nigeria, with its own vibrant professional body — the Nigerian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NSBMB) — deserves no less recognition and protection.
Call for Position Papers
The Nigerian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NJBMB) invites well-researched Position Papers from scholars, professionals, policy experts, and stakeholders to advocate for the passage of the ICBMBN Bill.
Papers may address, but are not limited to, the following themes. Contributors are therefore encouraged to submit papers addressing any of the following broad themes and related subtopics:
A. Legislative and Policy Perspectives
- The implications of unregulated Biochemistry practice on national development.
- The role of legislation in strengthening scientific professionalism and innovation.
- The importance of professional regulation for Biochemists and Molecular Biologists in Nigeria.
- Lessons from the 2018 version of the Biochemistry Bill and why the current legislative process must succeed.
- Strengthening Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem through professional legislation.
- Legislative frameworks for scientific professionalism: comparative lessons from other regulated sciences.
- Aligning the ICBMBN Bill with Nigeria’s National Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy.
- The role of the National Assembly and relevant ministries (Science, Health, Education) in advancing Biochemistry legislation.
B. Professional Identity and Ethical Regulation
- The professional identity and recognition of Biochemists and Molecular Biologists in Nigeria.
- Protecting the integrity and autonomy of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as independent disciplines.
- Ethical standards, professional licensing, and continuous development for Biochemists and Molecular Biologists.
- Combating quackery in Biochemistry and the dangers of unregulated practice.
- Institutional roles of NSBMB in maintaining professional competence and certification.
- Creating career pathways and recognition frameworks for professional Biochemists.
- The role of chartered status in promoting global competitiveness for Nigerian Biochemists.
C. Education, Curriculum, and Accreditation
- The need for standardized Biochemistry and Molecular Biology curricula across Nigerian institutions.
- Safeguarding the teaching of Biochemistry from unqualified practitioners in allied disciplines.
- Establishing a National Accreditation Framework for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology programmes.
- Continuous professional development and postgraduate training in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
- The impact of educational misrepresentation on the quality of scientific manpower in Nigeria.
- Linking academic training to industry and national needs through professional regulation.
D. Research, Innovation, and National Development
- The socio-economic and national security benefits of establishing the ICBMBN.
- The central role of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in national health, agriculture, and industrial advancement.
- Positioning Biochemists as drivers of Nigeria’s bioeconomy and knowledge-based economy.
- The contribution of Biochemists and Molecular Biologists to public health preparedness and disease surveillance.
- Biochemistry as a catalyst for technological innovation — from molecular diagnostics to pharmaceutical development.
- Promoting research translation, patents, and bio-entrepreneurship through professional recognition.
- Biochemistry and sustainable development: achieving the UN SDGs through biochemical innovation.
E. Global Alignment and Professional Benchmarking
- Comparative international perspectives on protecting and regulating Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
- International models of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology regulation — lessons from ASBMB, BSBMB, SASBMB, and IUBMB.
- Bridging Nigeria’s professional standards with global biochemical societies.
- The role of FASBMB and IUBMB in fostering continental and international recognition.
- Enhancing mobility and collaboration for Nigerian Biochemists through global chartering frameworks.
- Benchmarking professional ethics, competencies, and governance in Biochemistry practice worldwide.
F. Cross-disciplinary Encroachment and Its Implications
- The dangers of cross-disciplinary encroachment and the dilution of scientific identity.
- The consequences of allowing allied medical scientists and technologists to teach or regulate Biochemistry.
- Boundary protection: maintaining disciplinary purity and professional jurisdiction in life sciences.
- Comparative case studies: how unregulated encroachment has affected other scientific professions.
- The dangers of scientific dilution and the extinction of professional identity in unprotected fields.
G. Economic and Industrial Relevance
- The role of Biochemists in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical, food, and biotechnology industries.
- Industrial biochemistry as a driver of job creation, innovation, and national competitiveness.
- Leveraging biochemical expertise for local content development and import substitution.
- Bioeconomy and biochemical regulation as tools for sustainable national development.
- The financial implications of unregulated practice and how professional licensing can stimulate growth.
H. Public Health, Food Security, and Environmental Safety
- The role of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in food safety, nutrition, and agricultural biotechnology.
- Biochemical contributions to combating infectious diseases and pandemics (e.g., COVID-19, Ebola).
- Molecular biochemistry in drug design, vaccine development, and diagnostic innovation.
- Environmental biochemistry and pollution control: protecting Nigeria’s ecosystem through science.
- The Biochemist as a national asset in preventive health and biosecurity.
I. Youth, Capacity Building, and Brain Drain
- Empowering young Biochemists through professional recognition and structured mentorship.
- The impact of lack of professional recognition on youth motivation and career progression.
- How the ICBMBN Bill can help stem brain drain among Nigeria’s scientific workforce.
- Promoting entrepreneurship, research grants, and international fellowships for young Biochemists.
J. Strategic Implementation and Future Outlook
- Pathways for implementing the ICBMBN Act once passed.
- Institutional collaborations: universities, research institutes, and private sector roles.
- Governance models for the proposed Institute: inclusiveness, accountability, and sustainability.
- Long-term impact assessment: measuring the benefits of Biochemistry regulation on national development.
- The future of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Nigeria — from legislation to legacy.
Submission Guidelines
- Manuscript Type: Position Paper (3–5 pages; maximum 2,500 words)
- Submission Deadline: 25th October 2025
- Submission Portal: www.nsbmb.org.ng/support4icbmbnbill
- Publication Type: Special Issue — “Legislative Advocacy for Professional Recognition in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology”
Conclusion
This is a defining moment in the history of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Nigeria. The passage of the ICBMBN Bill is not merely about legal recognition — it is about safeguarding a profession that sustains all life and health sciences.
Let your voice be heard.
Let your position be known.
Together, we can protect the identity, integrity, and future of our noble profession.
Correspondence
Stanley I.R. Okoduwa, PhD
Director, ICT — Nigerian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NSBMB)
Email: office@nsbmb.org.ng
Phone: +234 805 584 3993
