There Are Great Potentials For Nigerian Natural Medicine - Dr. Olu Adeola

Mr. Olu Adeola is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Abeokuta-based Globalherbs Natural Healthcare Product Company. In this chat with Financial Vanguard in Abeokuta recently, the Business Administration and Management graduate from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, speaks on why he ventured into natural/traditional medicine and why Nigeria has not been able to exploit her huge bio-resources potential.

Why natural medicine?
According to Adeola, he got into natural medicine because of its huge potential for Nigeria. "I have been in this business for over a decade. I was seconded from Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA).
I was in a collaborative venture with the agency and while there, they discovered the enormous potential in me and my ability for in-depth research into our traditional medicine because Nigerians as a people, only look forward but fail to look backward. You have to look at the past and move on in the present to project the future.
"What fascinated me in natural\traditional medicine is that it has a lot of potential in arresting most of the ailments especially in sub-Sahara Africa that orthodox medicine does not have cure for. As everyone knows, malaria is our major problem in Africa and for a very long time, we have depended on western countries for solutions to most of our problems.
This should not be the case because God has created us in this environment and has given us all that we need to survive under this environment but it is perhaps, our inability to look inwards that has made it impossible for us to unlock the potential within our environment.
Since I came into natural medicine, it has been a blessing to me, my family and mankind because over the years, I have been able to collaborate with the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) in Abuja in the research for drugs for diabetes, tuberculosis, malaria and other ailments."
Asked whether they have come up with any natural drug for diabetes, he said: "A lot of good things have been done by NIPRD and even the NNMDA, but you know, the problem in Nigeria is lack of funding. I know that at NIPRD, a lot of work has been done on that but as you know, research is not something you start one day and come out with your findings the next day. It takes about 10 years. In orthodox medicine, they have to do a lot of write-ups and carry out a lot of tests."
Some of the products developed:
"I developed a product called Valueplus, a dental drop and mouthwash. It is 100 per cent Nigerian product and it has been submitted to NIPRD for scientific investigation. It can help HIV-positive people against opportunistic infections like oral thrush as well as HIV negative people who want to preserve their dental health. Other products are Dr. Malaria, hyperherbs, combatol range of hair and skin products, bitters etc.
"NNMDA has been up and doing as it relates to most of the products I have developed because I have a good working relationship with the leadership of the agency. Also, the Director-General of the National Board for Technology Incubation, Dr. Mohammed Jibrin has been highly resourceful and supportive.
To most entrepreneurs at the Technology Incubation Centre, Abeokuta, it is like going back to the classroom because for every product you make, there is a mandate that you must be able to present it for external investigation. So it is not just to claim that you have done so and so, you have to defend it,"he said.
Home Remedies for Coughs
Adeola who presently has three employees and hopes to employ more if he is able to access funds, appealed to the Federal Government to make the conditions for accessing loan from the Bank of Industry less stringent so entrepreneurs can easily access loans from the bank as that will help Nigeria move from a mono economy to diversified economy to enable her exploit the huge potential in bio-resources. "Nigeria has got it but the only thing is our inability to exploit it.
"All my raw materials are locally sourced except some of the packaging materials which we import because most of the companies that produce the packaging materials are not in the country so we resort to buying from outside the country. Aside that, virtually everything has been given to us in Nigeria free of charge."