Elujoba, Iwu, others urge NASS to pass Traditional Medicine Bill

DETERMINED to develop herbal medicines as vital sources of food, nutrition and health management, stakeholders, yesterday, in Abuja, at the 8th Edition of Herbfest- an exhibition of health food and natural products, urged the National Assembly to pass the Traditional Medicine Bill.

The theme of the 8th Herbfest is “Food as Medicine: utilization and sustainable exploitation of African medicinal plants and natural products.”
Professor of Pharmacognosy at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile Ife, Osun State, and Founder Village Pharmacy, Anthony Elujoba; Chairman Bioresources Development Group (BDG) and also professor of pharmacognosy University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) Enugu State, Maurice Iwu, said Nigeria has been doing well in the area of herbal drugs but there is need to work hand in hand with the National Assembly in order to pass the Bill that seeks the establishment of Traditional Medicine Council.

They said, the Bill when passed will place herbal medicine on the same footing relatively to orthodox medicine.
Elujoba in his keynote address stated that food could be used as drugs for immune system boosting and natural health maintenance. He, however, noted that Nigeria has done a lot in the aspect of herbal drugs but the fact that they are no laws to support the product and usage, the demand for it has not been encouraging.

Elujoba said: “Nigeria has been doing well in the area of herbal drugs but all that we need are finishing touches and the best step is to work hand in hand with the senate of the country to pass the bill on traditional medicine council because this is when herbal medicine can be placed on the same footing relatively to orthodox medicine. Once there is a council of herbal medicine it will be at par with the medical and dental council of Nigeria and other related bodies and this council will take over all that is necessary to take over in herbal medicine in Nigeria.”

According to him, the National Agency for Food Drug Administration (NAFDAC) has been of great assistances to them as a body as they test, screen and approve all herbal drugs before it being put in the market, noting that most of the drugs are being taken as food supplements instead of drugs that could cure aliments.

NAFDAC are the first government agency to approve the use of herbal medicine since 1999, they have a law that controls traditional/herbal medicine and they have been doing very well. They are a step forward right now, if you submit your herbal product they only test and screen it for safety and make sure that anybody that uses it is not harmed in any way. Also they ensure that the product that they have approved and listed have the properties that you claim that they have, but the issue right now is that they do not approve some products as medicine but as food supplements in as much as it could cure some aliments, we as scientist of herbal medicine know that not all that is approved as nutrients and supplements are not drugs, he stressed.

He further said that everyone could patronize herbal medicine, noting that orthodox practitioners and politicians especially during election times patronize them.

Iwu, said that the programme is to bring together all the various player to promote the exploitation, marketing and production of herbal medicinal products for those that are used as food and those that can be used as medicine.

He stressed that Nigerians don’t need to be convinced to used herbal drugs, noting that once they try orthodox medicine and it does not work for them, then herbal medicine will be the alternative, saying “everyone wants to be alive.”
Iwu said that the major challenges faced by the industry is awareness “ the challenges are majorly to make it known nationwide and for it to have its place in the national system like the private sector, institutions, government agencies, and the academia.
“It will be important to note that the various universities should change their curriculum to have doctors who are specialized and have done program on herbal medicinal products,” he added.

Former Minister, Labour and Productivity, Prof. Emeka Nwogu, said that the year’s theme is apt as it came at a time President Muhammadu Buhari mentioned to the nation that the next budget would be a budget that will be based on the diversification of the economy and agriculture is top on the list.

He said: “If agriculture is number one focus of the country in the next budget as the means of diversification, it means that food will be in abundance, if food is mentioned that means there will be available medicine to the people and that will take us to the next level which is health, food sufficiency, and medicine. One also cannot talk about food and medicine without having sufficient food and in a way it becomes diversification of the economy and who you need to make food sufficient? Human beings and then that takes us to job creation so you can see that this is a program that have the job creation element, have creation of food and also aims at giving people alternative health care.”

According to him, food is health and pharmaceutical drugs cannot only be used to cure certain aliment or to keep health.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST), represented by Director, Health and Biomedical Sciences, FMST, Dr. Manasseh Gwaza, noted that the programme will enhance productivity capacity as well as income status of the people involved in herbal drugs, food and natural products.

Nigeria is biodiversity like those of other African countries is an important source of medicinal, food and chemical products. Herbal medicine holds great potential to transform the nation’s agricultural and industrial systems and contributes not only to healthcare improvement, but also provide investment opportunities so as to assist poverty reduction, wealth creation and contribute to national socio-economic growth and development.
“The unique species of plants and animals as well as other ecosystems contribute to the nations natural wealth, however, diversity is underutilize, unsustainably utilized and is being lost at an alarming rate.”