It’s not difficult to find out why the Lagos umbrella of the association chose him as their leader. The natural therapist does not tread into issues with the cautiousness of a cat’s paws; he huffs and he puffs…. And he blows up your roof!
In this fire breathing interview, he speaks on the Nigerian traditional medicine industry, especially with respect to the herbal bill hanging at the National Assembly. He speaks on the potentials in the industry and proffers solutions on how to boost Nigerian’s competitiveness at the global front. He also speaks on an array of other related issues. Excerpts.
How long have you been in the industry?
I came into the industry right from my birth because I was born into the industry. But my company came up as a registered outfit in 2007.
How would you rate the present state of traditional medical practice in Nigeria?
It’s a large industry when you take a global look at it. But, coming down here, Nigeria is not benefiting from the global trade as far as traditional/herbal medicine is concerned. And if Nigeria is not benefiting, it means something is wrong somewhere. We are nowhere in the market
Why is Nigeria not benefiting?
It is due to two factors. Thank God, after over 60 years of ignoring us, the federal government has at last woken up to realities on ground. But, that was mainly through the strong and persistent effort of WHO (World Health Organization). It was WHO that actually moved Nigeria as a country to recognize traditional medicine, but what is the extent of that recognition? Just at the policy level. But mind you, recognition is not the same thing as integration. We have been clamouring for integration; yet nothing has been done in that regards. Even at the policy level, the bill for traditional medicine has not been passed. Can you imagine! It’s still lying fallow on the floor of the National Assembly.
The WHO even ear-marked some amount of money to assist Nigeria but the federal government is delaying in accessing that fund. Yet they keep writing in the papers that they are losing billions of Naira to malaria. It sounds ridiculous. The 500 Million US Dollars that WHO approved is still there at the office of WHO. Why can’t the federal government access it? It is because they have not passed the bill. So, that bill is the paramount thing now. The National Assembly should, as a matter of urgency, pass it now.
What pressure is NANTMP mounting to make sure that the bill is passed?
We are not a pressure group. It’s a national association of traditional medicine practitioners in Nigeria. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo constituted a Board of Trustees for the body in 2006. In 2008, Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola, inaugurated the Lagos state chapter.. The only pressure we can mount is from the intellectual platform. We continually write the senators and members of the House of Representatives. If they are truly representing the interest of the people of this country, they should pass that bill.
Again, to draw the attention of the government to our plight, we carried out a form of silent protest last year. The national body decided that we would not celebrate traditional medicine. What are we celebrating? Is it progress or stagnancy? There’s no progress. Our decision not to celebrate is to tell them we are not happy. If the bill is passed, we will be happy. All that we have been doing is through self help. For instance, we have a college where we train practitioners on best practices in the industry. But, where can self-help lead us if government cannot fund our project?
In 2005, thee African Heads of state met in Abuja and decided 15 percent of the total health budget of each country should go to traditional medicine practitioners. That’s what we are asking from the government.
Now let’s narrow down. What is the range of your products and services?
As far as traditional medicine practice is concerned, the sky is the limit for any genuine practitioner. We thank God for the recognition, even though it is minimal at this stage, from the government. In Lagos, the Board gives you areas of specialization. I am specialized in the category called Genetic Healing. Any disease that has a name, I have a cure for it.
Government has categorized products and services and we are training our people on those categories. If you are categorised as a General Healer, you must have a cure for any ailment. Perhaps, that was why WHO defined traditional medicine as the sum total of all knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of ailments.
Specifically, can you tell us something about Daily Detox?
Daily Detox is a product of 10 years of research. It has been trade-marked and why it is called Daily Detox is because, everyday, there is a detoxification healing mechanism in the body of the user. Everyday, the human liver detoxifies wastes If for one reason or the other, this natural process is tampered with, the system becomes impaired. And you know, parasites in the liver are difficult for the white blood cells to locate. That is where Daily Detox comes in.
The product is for now under investigation at LUTH. It contains some compounds that protect the liver and the sight. There is no illness that is liver related that Daily Detox cannot cure.
How can people have access to it?
As a product under investigation, there are two ways of accessing it. We make it available to people who are severely ill in hospitals. We have a kind of arrangement with the unit of investigational product, to get it across to whoever needs it. We also distribute through fellow practitioners because we don’t use hawkers. You can also access it on the web (www.nantmp.com).
The way you use medical terminology, it looks like you studied a discipline related to plants. Do you have a background in Botany or any related field?
When you hear vocabs that sound strange, coming from a traditional doctor, what else do you expect? Of course, I have gone through the formal training. We can talk in the language of orthodox doctors and I think that makes it easier for them to accept us.
I went through primary, modern and secondary schools. I also went through a teacher training college and polytechnic. And you know, as a teacher in those days, you must treat all subjects. Again, I read Business Administration, which is a very broad discipline. My exposure outside the country has also given me a leverage.
What is NANTMP doing to checkmate the influx of foreign herbal medicines into the country?
That will be done when we are fully integrated into the health system. All you see in the industry is through self development efforts. Our government should be sincere. They waste resources on foreign biodiversity when Nigeria is richly endowed with natural vegetation. The government makes arrangement with the government of China to extract the alkaloid that cures malaria. This has gulped billions of Naria. Do we not have bitter plants in Nigeria that we can extract alkaloids from? Instead of wasting money on foreign biodiversity, let us develop our own. These brands find their way into the country because Nigeria has been turned into a dumping ground. And when you take these herbal products to the laboratory and analyze them, you find out Nigerian herbs are far much better than the ones used in preparing them. That was why Obasanjo instituted a presidential committee for the commercialization of Nigerian herbal products. The committee is still there but not working. Why? Because there is no budget for it function. The regulatory bodies, too, should follow the rule of law in the discharge of their duties. The successful ones amongst us have become the object of hatred to the regulatory bodies. Instead of following due process, they barge into your factory with lorry loads of armed and fierce looking mobile policemen in order to intimidate you.
The way you talk, it appears the present state of the local industry is gloomy. How do you see the future?
If the present state of things is gloomy, what do you expect of the future? Gloomier of course - unless something is done about it. The WHO has made so many resolutions; none of them is being implemented in Nigeria.
How do you see the future of your brand?
Oh, bright! With the self help I am using, the future for my brand is great. And I think you media people are also doing wonderfully well. For instance, my first contact with your paper (AlternativeHealth & Lifestyles) was from the internet. You guys are doing well. You deservr the accolades and gratitude’s of practitioners of herbal/traditional medicine in Nigeria. Well done.
 Johnson Idowu: Govt. Should Pass The Herbal Bill Now!){kind=link}
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