African Traditional Medicine Day: FG challenged over local COVID-19 vaccine

By Idu Jude
It is no longer news that many countries have sought local alternative means of reducing the scourge of covid 19 with nonavailability of the drugs and delay in delivery. In Africa, Egypt and South Africa are already leading the pack with locally processed vaccines. Thanks to the 2021 edition of the African traditional medicine day held in Abuja, experts saw better opportunities to start the war against coronavirus.

Reacting to the government’s recent move, the Secretary-General, Academic staff union of research institutes, professor Theophanous Ndukakwu, said it is a welcome development and that is coming after so many years of foot-dragging, in manufacturing locally made vaccines. The problem with Nigeria is that we have a country that God created to be the best Nation in the world.

I don’t know whether you are aware that there is no country across the World so blessed in terms of quantity and quality of natural resources like Nigeria. So by God’s plan, Nigeria is supposed to be the richest country in the world.

But can’t you see? Have you ever asked a question why the country that God created to be the richest country in the world becomes the poverty capital? Why? Just because we refused to convert the natural resources to wealth. And it is also because people do not convert natural resources by prayers but by actions.

“We simply refused to convert the natural resources God has given us to create wealth and that is why you are seeing these entire quarrels between ASSU and the Federal Government. It boils down to the lack of funding for the development of the Nations institutions. It boils down to the fact that we have refused to follow the right track of developing this county.

So we are saying that even if there is no money that the government should borrow to fund the research institutions.

That even if they borrow any amount of money just like I told the National Assembly, to borrow for research in this country and if Nigeria fails to come up top, or doesn’t change for better, that they should put me on the firing squad and say it is this man that made us borrow the money.

The greatest way this country can achieve faster development is to believe that this is a country that is failing. To say, this is a country torn apart by ethnic problems, criminalities, Boko Haram, name it.

“So what are we talking about, we are saying that the research institutions in Nigeria have been abandoned, that the meager amount of money budgeted and released does not get to the researchers. All the money they are appropriating is spent on buying vehicles. If you visit the place, you will see thousands of vehicles packed. Yet the researchers don’t have one naira to publish papers or to do research.

“As we say, research is key to national development. The only way you can open the door for national development is through the researchers whom the government has kept in limbo for fifteen years. A lot of people have retired without any condition of service, so they may not have performed optimally. And somebody you appointed as chief executive says that he is not going to implement, that is why we are saying all the researchers are leaving to the universities after waiting for fifteen years of implementing working conditions, what else you hope to work for. And when the government does not have the political will to advise or give order to the people they appointed then something is wrong.

Dr. Abdul Bashir, may not be a medical practitioner but sees the better opportunity of bringing to an end the menace of covid 19 in Nigeria through local herbs. “ I know that we have so many research institutions across Nigeria capable of developing locally made vaccines.

Mr. Michael Udensi a Pharmacist Researcher, said, “research, is not a thing we see the result of today and tomorrow, it needs patience and time but they have refused to accord us the right place even in the funding. As has been enunciated, we have been in the fight for more than fifteen years and so many of us spent 8 years trying to come up with something but we have no funds. So this is why we are crying, not only for ourselves but for the good of Nigeria and researchers. You people can help us; shout it to the world so that everyone should know why we are where we are today”

ThisNigeria recalls that the 31st of August is celebrated yearly in commemoration of African Traditional Medicine, as declared by African Heads of State at their meeting in Abuja in 2001. The aim is to develop, promote, and research traditional medicine.

According to the Minister of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire, The World Health Organization provides the theme for each year’s celebration. Last year, participants discussed the theme ‘’Two Decades of African Traditional Medicine (2001 – 2020), What Progress in Countries?’’. Interestingly, this year’s theme is “The Potential Contribution of Traditional Medicine to COVID-19 Response”.

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“As you are all aware, the world suddenly woke up to the report, in December 2019, by Chinese Health Authorities of an outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and transmitted between humans through respiratory droplets and vomits. Since its emergence, it has rapidly spread globally.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020, and later as a pandemic on March 11, 2020”

Accordingly, the minister stated that the science world went into research for a solution. However, non-pharmaceutical measures like the wearing of face masks, washing of hands, physical distancing, travel restrictions, lockdowns, and dissemination of information from WHO were employed to check the spread.

“The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 was established by the President of Nigeria on March 9, 2020, with an overarching mandate to coordinate and oversee the country’s multi-sectorial and inter-governmental efforts both to contain the outbreak and to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

The Federal Ministry of Health in its efforts for local content tasked the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research & Development (NIPRD) and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration & Control
(NAFDAC) to scale up their activities towards the search for a local solution to the pandemic. Accordingly, NAFDAC was directed to list more medicinal plant products.

The Nigerian response was characterized by robust collaborations with partners. Development and implementation of response strategies were facilitated by technical and material support from several local and
international partners including the WHO, Africa CDC, and philanthropic organizations.

The efforts of the government in this regard have greatly minimized the negative consequences of the disease on the health and economy of Nigerians. Statistics from NCDC show that as of 7th September 2021 we have 196,487 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 2,573 deaths and only 16,300 active cases.

The Ministry inaugurated an expert committee for the development of protocols for the evaluation of herbal medicinal products as a way of promoting research. Also, a database of traditional medicine practitioners is being developed for ease of collaboration in the research, development, and promotion of traditional medicine.

We are currently working towards the review of the Nigeria Herbal Pharmacopoeia and the Traditional Medicine Policy. All these measures are aimed at strengthening our resources for the delivery of quality, efficacious and safe traditional medicine products. We also have in place an expert committee for the setting up of Traditional, Complementary & Alternative Medicine Institute to serve for the training of professionals in this sector.

The series of events in the world during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic calls for the need to look inwards and consider local production of medicines as necessary for national security and attainment of Universal Health Coverage.

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The Federal Ministry of Health is working in collaboration with international organizations and relevant MDA’s to ensure the discovery of effective remedies against COVID-19 and other diseases from the rich and extensive flora of the country.

“Let me use this opportunity to inform us of the availability of ten (10) Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) on African Traditional Medicine, developed by the Standards Organization of Nigeria.

The Standards are reference documents to be utilized by Traditional Medicine Practitioners, Researchers, Students, Manufacturers of herbal medicinal products, etc.; aimed at providing safe, quality, and efficacious traditional medicines for local consumption and export. The Standards could be accessed by the public at SON offices across the country.

I want to appreciate all our stakeholders for their contribution to the development of Traditional Medicine and t give assurance that the Ministry is committed to supporting traditional medicine development.

“Again I want to charge all of you to work hard towards discovering a local solution to the COVID-19 pandemic that is threatening the global community. I wish you success in the rest of the activities marking this celebration”