Citing the erosion of traditional medicines due to colonialism and corruption, the Director-General of the Nigerian Natural Medicines Development Agency (NNMDA), Prof. Martins Emeje, condemned the over-dependence on imported drugs and stressed that health research and development (R&D) must be considered a matter of national security.
Emeje disclosed this at a one-day training seminar titled, “Building a Transparent and Accountable Public Institution and Inauguration of the NNMDA Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU).”
According to him, a medicinal plant grown and used can create 3.4 million jobs and generate over N100 billion in foreign exchange, while there have been calls on his agency to address the proliferation of unregulated herbal drinks.
Calling for the development of medicinal plants, he said this would contribute to the economic empowerment of Nigeria especially in terms of employment generation, income generation and export potential, adding that health R&D was a matter of national security.
The distinguished professor of drug delivery and nanomedicine reiterated the agency's commitment to transparency in research and development of natural medicines.
Describing the inauguration of ACTU members as an important step towards promoting transparency and combating corruption, the Professor said that with transparency, the agency was implementing the principle of Renewing Hope for the development of natural medicines.
“Most of our drugs are imported and that is the narrative we are changing; so in one and a half years, we have proven that Nigeria can do this transparently without stealing,” Emeje said.
Development of medicinal plants is crucial to Nigeria’s economy
Emeje, who reiterated that the development of medicinal plants was vital to the economic empowerment of Nigeria, highlighted the significant advantages of the development of medicinal plants, stressing their potential to support the Nigerian economy.
He noted that this initiative could lead to more employment generation, more income generation and more export opportunities. Dr. Emeje also stressed the importance of health research and development (R&D), stating that it was a critical national security issue.
His remarks call for a concerted effort to harness the benefits of medicinal plants for the country's growth and stability.
Source : https://thesun.ng