The Federal Government will soon invite all researchers, herbal medicinal practitioners to a summit to verify claims of their cure for Covid-19. The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu disclosed this when he received a pharmacist and herbal medicine practitioner, Dr. Ben Amodu who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.
Onu further said that renowned scientists would be at the summit to subject respective herbal products with cure for Covid-19 to clinical trials and toxicity tests. The Minister bemoaned the fact that many drugs used in our homes and schools are imported, whereas Nigeria has abundant medicinal plants that could be used for pharmaceutical purposes. Such medicinal plants and their products could also be exported, thereby helping to diversify the economy and create more jobs for Nigerians, he added.
Onu further said that the Federal Government will continue to support the research into herbal medicine as a means of diversifying the economy.He appealed to Nigerian scientists to take the lead in finding solutions to the Covid-19 pandemic which had caused so much disruption to all aspects of national life.
Onu assured that the Ministry will continue to support indigenous research efforts for the purpose of commercialization. “The world is facing a pandemic that has deleterious effect on the global economy, an event unheard of since World War 2”, he added. Earlier, the Managing Director of Halamin Herbal Products, Dr. Ben Amodu a researcher on communicable and non-communicable diseases, said his products can effectively manage various diseases.
