Why Nigeria’s traditional medicine is not advancing – Regulator

Conventional drugs has been an integral a part of Nigerian tradition for hundreds of years, but it continues to face scepticism by thousands and thousands of residents. A number of causes have been adduced for this, together with the absence of requirements, weak regulation and a colonial mindset.

On this interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the Director Basic of the Nigeria Pure Drugs Growth Company (NNMDA), Martins Emeje, discusses conventional drugs, the company’s efforts to standardise and regulate the sector, and the way improvements like nanotechnology are reworking natural therapies.

Mr Emeje, a professor of drug supply/nanomedicine, additionally discusses the potential of conventional drugs to create thousands and thousands of jobs, the necessity for educational recognition, and his imaginative and prescient for its integration into Nigeria’shealthcare system.

PT: Conventional drugs has been part of Nigerian tradition for hundreds of years, but it has confronted scepticism from many, particularly within the medical neighborhood.

What would you say is the most important problem dealing with conventional drugs as we speak?

Mr Emeje: That is the primary time a journalist has framed the query this fashion, acknowledging that scepticism primarily comes from the medical neighborhood relatively than saying “most individuals.” That distinction is vital.

The individuals who maintain these misconceptions are what I name the “minority elite” of this nation. Research have proven that at the least 80 per cent of Nigerians patronise conventional drugs. If Nigeria has a inhabitants of about 218 million, and we estimate 80 per cent of 200 million, meaning round 160 million Nigerians use conventional drugs. The remaining 40 million are principally elites—educated people who stay in locations like Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt. They’ve entry to overseas medicine, personal hospitals, and allopathic drugs as a result of they’ll afford it. These are the identical individuals who get appointed as consultants by organisations just like the UN, WHO, UNICEF, and UNESCO. They sit in lodges, write studies, and spiral-bind paperwork about what is going on in my village, Agaliga, with out going there.

The difficulty is basically colonial mentality. Many on this elite group refuse to liberate themselves from the shackles of colonialism. They badmouth conventional drugs not as a result of it’s ineffective however as a result of they depend on overseas funding.

This isn’t to say that conventional drugs is ideal, removed from it. However neither is allopathic drugs. I’m a pharmacist, and I can confidently say that many illnesses can’t be cured by fashionable medicine, but traditionalmedicine has options for them, and vice versa.

For these of us deeply concerned on this subject—by expertise, examine, and fervour—we all know what must be performed. Fortunately, I’ve been given the privilege by President Bola Tinubu to just do that, and I’m absolutely dedicated to the duty.

PT: One of many main issues about conventional drugs is the shortage of standardisation and regulation. What are you doing to handle this?

Mr Emeje: Initially, those that actually perceive conventional drugs know that standardisation is just not a difficulty.

The concept that conventional drugs lacks dosage comes from making use of overseas parameters to guage it, which is wrong. People who find themselves not acquainted with conventional drugs usually assume it doesn’t have correct dosing, however that’s merely not true.

A dose doesn’t must be outlined strictly by colonial curricula. As individuals skilled in fashionable drugs, pharmacy, and different well being sciences, our position is to use our data to enhance conventional drugs – to not dismiss its present ideas. At present, conventional drugs is just not taught in universities as a standalone self-discipline. That’s the reason we’re advocating for full tutorial programmes, together with bachelor’s levels, grasp’s levels, PhDs, and professorships in Nigerian conventional drugs. As soon as we have now graduates who specialise on this subject, they are going to be capable to outline and clarify conventional drugs dosing scientifically.

For now, the belief that conventional drugs lacks dosage solely comes from a lack of awareness. Conventional medical practitioners do present dosing directions. Some could say, “Take a cup,” simply as some foreignmedicines require ingesting a particular liquid amount. Others use pure indicators, such because the solar’s place, to find out when a dose ought to be taken. These are official dosing strategies.

The place do fashionable scientists are available? Our position is to gather, examine, and doc these practices correctly to make sure they’re well-understood and utilized successfully.

At NNMDA, we have now taken concrete steps towards this. We run a four-year faculty the place college students earn a Nationwide Diploma in Pure Drugs.

Not too long ago, we have been additionally designated because the official awarding physique for conventional drugs certifications in Nigeria.

The federal authorities recognises that conventional drugs is reasonably priced, accessible to individuals, and resonates with our tradition.

PT: How is NNMDA working with regulatory businesses like NAFDAC to forestall misinformation, shield public well being, and be certain that solely protected, regulated conventional medicines attain the general public?

Mr Emeje: Our relationship with NAFDAC is great. The Director-Basic, Mojisola Adeyeye, is among the strongest advocates for conventional drugs in Africa, regardless that she doesn’t publicly emphasise it. I name her my “Mama” due to her dedication to this subject.

NNMDA and NAFDAC have been the primary two public establishments in Nigeria to collaborate and win a aggressive grant for analysis in conventional drugs. We’re persevering with this work with one other main mission deliberate for 2025. If you happen to listened to her 2025 press convention, you’ll have heard her point out at the least three initiatives she intends to hold out with NNMDA.

Past NAFDAC, we additionally work intently with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, led by Ahmed Babashehu. These are the 2 most vital regulatory businesses in Nigeria with regards to drugs, and we collaborate successfully to make sure requirements are met.

When discussing substandard and counterfeit medicines, it’s vital to notice that the difficulty isn’t restricted to conventional drugs. The truth is, there are much more faux and substandard overseas medicines circulating in Nigeriathan conventional treatments. All of us bear in mind the late Dora Akunyili, who virtually misplaced her life whereas combating in opposition to faux medicine. Her battle wasn’t in opposition to conventional drugs—it was in opposition to counterfeit overseas prescribed drugs. So, the issue of substandard medicines is basically a overseas one, not simply a difficulty inside conventional drugs.

PT: Not too long ago, you really useful the introduction of conventional drugs into colleges. How do you envision this working? Will or not it’s a standalone course, or will or not it’s built-in into medical and pharmaceutical training?

Mr Emeje: Conventional drugs will stand as an unbiased self-discipline, providing levels in any respect tutorial ranges: Bachelor’s, Grasp’s, and PhD—with professors specialising in Nigerian conventional drugs. It isn’t aboutmerging it with drugs, pharmacy, or different healthcare programs. As an alternative, these pursuing careers in drugs, nursing, and medical laboratory science can take elective programs in conventional drugs to realize a proper understanding of the sector.

There’s usually a colonial mindset that locations Western drugs above conventional drugs, main some to argue that conventional drugs ought to be built-in into fashionable medical training. However why not the opposite approach round? Conventional drugs is huge and deeply rooted in our indigenous data programs. The truth is, it mustn’t even be taught in English.

Throughout Asia, college students learning conventional drugs achieve this of their native languages. If a foreigner desires to check conventional Chinese language drugs or Ayurveda, they first study the language for six months. But right here, we insist that college students will need to have 5 credit in English to check conventional drugs—why?

That is why I supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s thought of building a college of languages. Sadly, the concept confronted criticism, principally from individuals whose experience is criticism. If we actually worth our heritage, we should always embrace training in indigenous languages, significantly in fields like conventional drugs.

Have a look at the mass migration of Nigerian healthcare professionals—docs, pharmacists and nurses are leaving the nation in giant numbers as a result of their coaching aligns with overseas healthcare programs. That tells ussomething is improper with our curriculum. If we skilled individuals for Nigeria’s healthcare system, they wouldn’t be in such excessive demand overseas. Graduates of Ayurveda and conventional Chinese language drugs don’t “japa” as a result of their experience is primarily helpful of their house nations, serving to to develop native healthcare.

Many conventional medical practitioners as we speak ought to be college lecturers, however the system doesn’t recognise their data. If you’re a professor of drugs or pharmacy, chances are you’ll know little about conventional drugs, but conventional practitioners can diagnose and deal with situations in ways in which fashionable drugs generally can not. For example, a conventional healer could use particular plant mixtures and methods to revive mobility to an injured leg that Western drugs would have amputated. This depth of data deserves tutorial recognition.

PT: You projected that simply one among NNMDA’s 27 new merchandise may generate as much as 3.8 million jobs. Which particular sectors will profit essentially the most from this job creation?

Mr Emeje: That estimate is a modest one. Each white powder imported into Nigeria, by pharmaceutical corporations, originates from crops, and in different nations, all the strategy of cultivation, harvesting, transportation, extraction, purification, and formulation creates huge employment alternatives. However right here, we merely import the completed product, paying not only for the powder but in addition for the salaries of those that processed it overseas. Primarily, we’re outsourcing jobs that ought to be created inside our financial system.

With this initiative, we’re reversing that pattern by producing medicinal merchandise regionally, creating employment throughout a number of sectors. Agriculture will see a serious enhance as a result of medicinal crops are the uncooked supplies.Massive-scale farming will likely be important, and we have already got farms in 14 states with plans to broaden to over 8,600 medicinal farms nationwide. Each neighborhood has illnesses and native crops historically used for remedy, and cultivating these crops will generate important employment for farmers and agricultural employees.

Transportation may even be closely concerned. Transferring uncooked supplies from farms to laboratories and manufacturing amenities require a robust logistics community. We’ll want transporters at each stage, simply as INEC partnerswith the Nationwide Union of Street Transport Staff (NURTW) throughout elections. We may even collaborate with transport unions, creating employment alternatives for drivers, logistics coordinators, and different transportworkers.

Schooling and expertise coaching will play an important position. To maintain this business, we should practice professionals in conventional drugs. That’s why we have now established a university and are launching a Nationwide Expertise Acquisition Programme to certify conventional medical practitioners. This may open up jobs for educators, researchers, and trainers.

The healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors will profit as nicely. As soon as uncooked supplies attain the lab, we want extremely expert professionals—chemists, pharmacists, medical docs, scientific trial specialists, and analysts—to make sure product security and efficacy. The demand for healthcare employees, together with nurses and laboratory scientists will enhance as extra merchandise are developed.

Advertising and distribution may even see important job creation. After manufacturing, the medicines should attain customers, requiring entrepreneurs, distributors, and retailers to make sure accessibility and public consciousness.

All these sectors mixed contribute to our job creation estimate.

At present, we have now 27 merchandise, with 5 already authorized by NAFDAC and others within the remaining levels. We’re proud to be the one public establishment in Nigeria conducting healthcare analysis with NAFDAC-approved merchandise and amenities.

PT: NNMDA is making use of nanotechnology to conventional drugs, which is sort of fascinating. Are you able to clarify how this innovation is enhancing the protection and effectiveness of natural therapies?

Mr Emeje: I’m smiling as a result of that is my space of experience—nanoscience.It’s one thing I’m very enthusiastic about. When individuals criticise the event of pure merchandise, I merely chortle as a result of we have now moved far past primary preparation and supply. At this company, we have now a completely outfitted nanotechnology laboratory, and I’m already pushing to broaden it right into a pico-technology laboratory. The truth is, we have now already launched some nanotechnology-based merchandise.

Nanotechnology permits us to enhance the precision and effectiveness of natural therapies via focused drug supply. For instance, take a typical remedy like paracetamol, which is often given as a 500mg dose. The physique doesn’t want all the 500mg; solely a fraction of it’s wanted.The remainder is misplaced via metabolism and waste elimination. With nanotechnology, we will ship solely the precise quantity wanted on to the goal space within the physique. This enhances effectivity, reduces waste, and minimises potential unwanted effects.

Past that, we’re additionally advancing machine studying purposes to enhance our analysis. Within the subsequent two years, our knowledge will display simply how a lot progress we’ve made. Moreover, our nanotechnology isenvironmentally pleasant—it falls underneath inexperienced know-how. We don’t use dangerous chemical compounds in our processes; as an alternative, we depend on pure compounds, guaranteeing that our improvements align with international efforts to fight local weather change.

PT: Trying forward, what’s your final imaginative and prescient for conventional drugs in Nigeria? The place do you see its place in our healthcare system and financial system?

Mr Emeje: Whether or not I obtain it or not, my imaginative and prescient is evident—I need to be on the forefront of remodeling conventional drugs in Nigeria. I envision a future the place conventional drugs is revered, recognised, and formally built-in into our healthcare system. I need Nigerians to see it as a viable profession path, with structured academic programmes resulting in levels, grasp’s, and even PhDs in conventional drugs.

Extra importantly, I need these research to be performed in our native languages, eliminating the barrier of English proficiency. My objective is for individuals to confidently stroll into licensed conventional medical amenities—simply as they do with fashionable hospitals—the place they’ll obtain trusted, skilled healthcare.