The importance of integrating indigenous medicine with orthodox health practices for community health and economic development has been emphasized by the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) which at the weekend lamented Nigeria’s over-dependence on imported drugs and other healthcare products.
The Director-General of the Agency, Prof. Martins Emeje raised the concern at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka during a Community engagement meeting on importance of Integrating Indigenous Medicine with Orthodox Health Practices for Community Health and Economic Development in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Emeje regretted that while over 160 million Nigerians could not afford imported drugs, over 40 percent of drugs in the pharmaceutical space globally originated from plants.
He lamented that Nigeria and Africa have been over-dependent on importation of healthcare products, including drugs and that as at today, Nigeria doesn’t manufacture a single drug.
This is quite painful and shameful, he said, adding:
“This simply means we’re insecure in terms of medicine, not just the insecurity we all know. That is why we decided to see how we can develop our own indigenous and natural medicine so we can produce our drugs locally.
“Over 40% of current drugs in the pharmaceutical space globally are from the plant origin, not to talk of animals, minerals and soil. For every disease, the solution is within the environment. There’s no disease in Nigeria that the panecea is not here”.
Emeje continued: “We can boast of men and women in our cultural heritage of herbal and traditional medical practitioners with wealth of knowledge and experience of how to tackle all manner of diseases in our society. That’s why our ancestors lived over 100years”.
He regretted that today, life expectancy is less than 60years and that is because Nigerians have thrown away their culture and heritage and are busy exporting and exploiting their own cultural bio-diversity and depending on imported pharmaceuticals.
He said the engagement is part of a research project involving five countries, namely: China, India, United Kingdom, Uganda and Nigeria who are collaborating to find solutions to the problem of anti-microbial using herbal medicine of Nigeria origin.
NNMDA he said is leading Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Obafemi Awolowo University with UNIZIK Vice-Chancellor Prof. Charles Esimone and Prof Ibrahim Bellow as part of Nigeria’s team to develop this medicine.
Emeje further announced that plans have been concluded by the Agency to establish research farms in all 774 local governments in Nigeria as well as herbal clinics in all states.
The research farms are for integrated cultivation, medical production, functional foods, among others. Currently, that of Kano State is 90% completed, while that of Plateau and Cross River States just commenced.
Identifying one of the Agency’s vision as citizens’ decolonization through proper education on placing premium on indigenous medicine, the Emeje said NNMDA had been organizing training through its College of Natural Medicine where students receive lectures in different languages.
He added: “We’ve been embarking on massive public enlightenment and training to tackle the issue of inferiority complex. We must believe in ourselves and what we can offer so others will take us serious and buy into our products,” he added.
He assured that the act establishing the agency clearly stated that intellectual property of all inventors and innovators is properly protected and so, the era of doubting trust on the part of government is gone.
Host Vice Chancellor, Prof Esimone in his contribution said the engagement was targeted at harvesting indigenous knowledge of medical plants for affordable, sustainable and acceptable healthcare.
He said: “We are trying to harvest indigenous knowledge in terms of medicinal plants, document and explore them fu
