ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to explore and integrate herbal medicine into the country’s mainstream healthcare system.
Ajaero believes this move would not only improve access to healthcare but also generate trillions of Naira for the country through exports.
Speaking during a visit from the National Association of Herbal Medicine Employers (NAHME) on Friday in Abuja, Ajaero emphasized the need for herbal hospitals to legitimize traditional medicine within the healthcare system.
He also stressed the importance of ethical practices and proper research to ensure the efficacy and standards of herbal remedies.
Ajaero expressed concern over the country’s reliance on imported pharmaceuticals, especially amidst foreign exchange challenges, and proposed the advancement of local herbal remedies as a sustainable alternative.
He highlighted the potential of herbal medicine to tackle indigenous health challenges, citing its roots in Nigerian culture.
By embracing herbal medicine, Ajaero believes Nigeria can diversify its economy and generate significant revenue.
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He urged the government to take advantage of this opportunity, recognizing the potency and cultural significance of herbal medicine in Nigeria.
Ajaero said: “We understand the importance of herbal medicine but it is still a vague area that we need to explore especially for a country like Nigeria, where the economy is not booming.
“Ordinarily, we should explore this herbal medicine or alternative medicine as they will call it, to the extent that it will be a revenue earner for the country, that we will be exporting our drugs to other countries, and that people can be coming into the country for treatment with our own drugs.
“That this issue of herbal medicine and alternative medicine being regulated was part of the problems we inherited from the whites. When they came in here, our religion, our way of life, our way of dressing, everything went down. But, from independence, Nigerians have started going back to their roots. And I do not see why we should not go back to our roots.
“If herbal medicine or alternative medicine is explored in Nigeria, the country will be making trillions through exports of these drugs, and that is an area that I would tell the Nigerian government, that since they are thinking of ways of diversifying the economy, they consider exploring it adequately.
“The potency of herbal medicine is not in doubt. There are elements that you cannot trace their genealogy to English culture. It is rooted in Nigerian culture. And it is clear that we know the solution. Because those illnesses are indigenous to this place.”
President of NAHME, Yemi Areola, said: “Herbal medicine can help our country in many ways. It can contribute to the GDP and growth of the economy as it is with countries like China, India, and many others. It can equally help to save the lives of many people who cannot afford orthodox medicine. We need government intervention to move forward.”
General Secretary of the union, Chief Oluyori Francis said: “Our government needs to value herbal medicine and consider it as an alternative to orthodox and a means of gaining money for the country. Like other countries of the world, we have the capacity to heal our sick people and contribute to the economic growth of the country.
“We are a registered union today by God’s grace. We need more recognition and support from the government.”