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Planned Introduction Of Herbal Medicine In Nigerian Varisties: How The People See It

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12 years ago

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The Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi
Chukwu, recently disclosed the Federal Government’s plan to introduce herbal medicine studies in the Nigerian universities curriculum.
By this, herbal medicine often regarded as esoteric science, studied and practiced by a select few, will be studied by all interested, qualified students in Nigeria.
How do Nigerians react to this development? Our Chief Correspondent, Calista Ezeaku and Photographer, Dele Obinna sought the views of some Port Harcourt residents on that.
Dr Ibitrokoemi Kurubo-Chairman Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Rivers State Chapter
You see, we need to understand the issue in the right context.
We must understand that even outside this country, herbs have been known to have medicinal properties and what the minister is trying to say is that there is now the need to properly regulate herbal medicine so that those that are interested in extraction of herbs for medicinal uses will be properly trained on how to use them. That is different from when you have herbalists that are like magicians, producing things that can cure every thing, no. What they are saying now is that we do have herbs that have medicinal properties and that there will be a system of extracting them to know those qualities and all that. That’s a good way to go. It is not a bad idea. If you are saying that you want to introduce scientific  approach to the use of herbs, I am for that.

Mr Gentle Oge- a navigator
I think it is a right move. For sometime now, herbal medicine has played vital role in the health sector in terms of maintaining good health of the citizenry.
Herbal medicine makes use of natural herbs from the bush which is very healthy. People who are narrow minded look at herbal medicine as being dirty and diabolical, but people who have  travelled far and wide know that herbal medicine is a key to the treatment of diseases like stroke and others.

Hon. Brilliant Amadi-Politician/Businessman
I think it’s a step in the right direction because herbal medicine for now has come to stay in Nigerian and a lot of people get themselves treated through herbal medicine. So I think it will be proper for government to assist in making it a known treatment rather than the way it has been  before now where a lot of quacks are into it. But if it is studied in school I think more and more professionals will come into it and professionalism will be introduced. Rather than us seeing the quacks we are seeing now, we will  begin to see professionals.
I know very well that all medicines come from herbs and roots but then the way they do it is a bit worrisome. You know everybody is looking for money, so a lot of fake herbal doctors are using this means to make money for themselves, But we are saying if it is introduced in schools and people study it professionally, more persons will come into the field as professionals and then medicines from herbs will be gotten and will be used to treat people professionally and not what we see today.
For instance one person will come on television and say we have one medicine that  cures a lot of sicknesses. How true is that? What are the scientific proof to show that these claims are true?
But if it is introduced in our Nigerian universities curriculum and people are studing it, for God’s sake, there will be scientific proofs to this effect. And when you are introducing a drug that is scientifically proven, people, the society will feel confident taking your drugs, knowing too well that it cures malaria, stroke or as the case may be rather than what we see today. And I believe that is the reason why a lot of people do not come out to say they are patronizing herbal medicine dealers because there is no proof. So I feel it is a step in the right direction. Government should go ahead and introduce it in universities, and let professionatism be introduced in the field. A lot of herbal medicine practioners today carry out diagnosis on patients when they are not trained to do so and studing herbal medicine in universities will equip them to do so.
But I will advise that government should not rush in introducing this course in the universities. They should be gradual about it. They should take one or two institutions as a case study and see how fast it will grow and how good it is before they can bring in other universities.

Mrs Chinyere Nwachukwu-Business woman
It is a very good initiative. Orthodox medicine is no longer reliable. There are a lot of fake medicine in the market. The people that deal on these drugs go to China and produce nonsense for us. These herbal doctors go to the bush, get the herbs and roots, prepare their medicine and when you take it, you will see it working while the one we buy from all these foriengners are nonsense. When you take it there is no improvement. You continue to take drugs without getting better but when you take  herbal medicine, you see changes in your body. And don’t forget that herbal medicine has been in practice since the olden days even before the introduction of orthodox medine. People relied on the herbal doctors for diagnosis and treatment of their illnesses. And if we can properly train people to study herbal medicine, it will be better for us. That will take Nigerian herbal medicine to a higher level.

Mrs Ngozi Victor-Ogolo – Herbal medicine practioner/Biochemist.
It’s a good idea. When you see what is happening in the world this time around, most times, the orthodox drugs are not really  helping. Most times you see so many patients come into our clinic who have been disappointed using orthodox drugs. Some will tell you that they’ve been taking orthodox drugs for a very long time but to no avail but after taking  herbal medicine, you’ll find out that they get what they want.
So I think introducing herbal medine in universities will really help us to know more. It will help us to have more doctors. Some of us that are currently in the practice still read books on herbal medicine. It does not really follow that one must learn herbal medicine from his grandfather who was a herbalist and all the rest. If you want to devote your mind to learning it, you can.
But a way to help in realizing government’s dream is to liaise with the main herbal practitionals, those that know the field well and have been into the practice for a long time.
Government should co-opt them in teaching some courses because you see, herbal medicine is good. I love it. It has really helped me and my family. And herbal medicine in Nigeria today has really developed. Contrary to some people’s believe that herbal medicine is fetish and being practiced by uneducated people, there is nothing fetish about it and as you can see most of us in this clinic (Emione Clinic) are graduates. We have our own factory, we produce the medicine under high hygeinic condition and all that. What is required is just getting the right roots and herbs and knowing what to do.
So I think introducing herbal medicine in our universities will help our health sector to grow.
It will help our people greatly in future.

Dr Nnanna Victor Onyekwere, Director, Public Health, Rivers State Ministry of Health.
The herbal practice or traditional practice as we know it here is something somebody got from his grandfather, his grandfather got it from his great grandfather and so on. It is a family thing and everybody keeps it a secret. And that has been the problem. Let the traditional medicine practitioners tell us what they are doing, let other people try it and document it so that it becomes approved for use by all but they say, “no it’s my remedy.”
So what the minister now said is like, rather than allowing us practice in this crude way of tradition hidden and shrouded with some secrecy and some kind of spirituality, let us formally study what is with us and see how they could be useful.
If you remember those days, leaves like dogonyaro were used for malaria. You ’ll find that the chewing stick we chew contains some chemicals that clean the teeth. Traditionally before now, we have always used even charcoal, ash to clean our teeth. So what they are saying now is, let us now study these herbs that we have to know their medical efficacy. Once that is known it becomes useful for pharmaceutical companies to see how they will use those herbs in treatment.
That’s the essence of it. Let’s study how useful all these herbs, leaves and plants are for medical treatment, Once that is confirmed, it means that pharmacy shops will start using them to produce drugs on larger scale. It means  that we can now start cultivating them and using them for treatment.
So it is not as if it is encouraging traditional practice, remember that even in orthodox practice, most of the drugs come from herbs. It’s first of all discovered from herbs, then they try produce it artificially. But the original ones are almost, always from herbs. So we are now looking inward to study the herbs we have with us to see what we can use them for medicinally, not necessarily in the usual traditional way. You know that in any plant, there are more than  one or two other drugs, in using it you extract the one that is useful and remove the other ones unlike when you put dogonyaro or back of tree into Kai Kai, it extracts every thing both useful and non-useful and even harmful ones. But now we will extract the useful ones, remove the harmful ones. It will almost look like a pharmaceutical study.
It will look like a school of pharmacy where rather than looking at theory, you’ll be concentrating on trees, plants and schrubs that exist locally and see what they can be used for.

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Opinion

Kudos  Gov Fubara

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6 days ago

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January 2, 2026

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Please permit me to use this medium to appreciate our able governor, Siminalayi Fubara for the inauguration of the 14.2-kilometre Obodhi–Ozochi Road in Ahoada-East Local Government Area.  This inauguration marks a significant milestone in the history of our communities and deserves commendation. We, the people of Ozochi, are particularly happy because this project has brought long-awaited relief after years of isolation and hardship.
The expression of our traditional ruler, His Royal Highness, Eze Prince Ike Ehie, JP, during the inauguration captured the joy of our people.  He said, “our isolation is over.”  That reflects the profound impact of this road on daily life, economic activities, and social integration of the people of Ozochi and other neighbouring communities. The road will no doubt ease transportation, improve access to markets and healthcare, and strengthen links between Ahoada, Omoku, and other parts of Rivers State.
The people of Ahoada, Omoku, and indeed Rivers State as a whole are grateful to our dear governor for this laudable achievement and wish him many more successful years in office. We pray that God endows him with more wisdom and strength to continue to pilot the affairs of the state for the benefit of all. As citizens, we should rally behind the governor and support his development agenda. Our politicians and stakeholders should embrace peace and cooperation, as no meaningful progress can be achieved in an atmosphere of conflict. Sustainable development in the state can only thrive where peace prevails.
Samuel Ebiye
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Opinion

… And It Came To Pass

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6 days ago

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January 2, 2026

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Quote:“Leadership is not measured by how hard one strikes back, but by how steady one remains under provocation.”
Tell it  in Rivers State, publish it  in the streets of Port Harcourt, so  the daughters of the State could rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph and know that Fubara is not vindictive”. And it came to pass that Rivers State emerged from one of the most delicate chapters in its political journey, the period of emergency rule that spanned from March 18 to September 18, 2025. It was a season that tested institutions, strained loyalties, and exposed the fragile balance between power and principle. During that time, the suspended Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara DSSRS, was widely believed to have suffered not only political setbacks but personal betrayal, allegedly from some top civil servants within the state apparatus. These were individuals expected to uphold neutrality and professionalism, yet were accused in public opinion of taking sides against the very government they served.
As the emergency rule ended and Governor Fubara resumed office, expectations were shaped less by policy and more by emotion. Many assumed that revenge would quietly find expression through governance. The loudest suspicion centered on the 2025 Christmas bonus of ?100,000 traditionally paid to each worker. The thinking was simple and cynical: a wounded governor would surely withhold goodwill. Some voices even mocked workers  openly hoping that the governor would refuse to pay the bonus. To them, denial of the bonus would serve as proof of political strength and justified retaliation. In reality, such thinking revealed a troubling desire to see governance reduced to personal vendetta. Yet,  it came to pass, the governor chose a path that confounded suspicion. Against all expectations, the 2025 Christmas bonus was paid.
That single decision quietly but firmly reframed the narrative. It showed a leader focused on governance rather than grudges, on institutional continuity rather than emotional satisfaction. The payment was not a favor, nor was it a concession; it was a statement that public administration must rise above personal injury. By honoring the bonus, Governor Fubara demonstrated that leadership is not measured by how hard one strikes back, but by how steady one remains under provocation. He made it clear that workers’ welfare would not become collateral damage in political disagreements. This action also served as a moral rebuke to those who celebrated division and hoped for punishment. Governance is not validated by the suffering of workers, nor is leadership strengthened by withholding entitlements. At the same time, the issue of alleged sycophancy and betrayal within the civil service cannot be brushed aside. If proven, such conduct deserves firm, lawful, and institutional correction. Civil servants are bound by duty to the state, not to political conspiracies or shifting loyalties.
However, justice must never be confused with revenge. The strength of governance lies in correcting wrongs without destroying the system itself. Governor Fubara’s restraint suggested an understanding that the future of Rivers State mattered more than settling scores. For workers, this moment carried an important lesson. Celebration should be rooted in good governance, not in the expectation of another’s downfall. Rejoicing in rumors of denial or punishment undermines the very stability that protects workers’ welfare. Public service thrives where professionalism, mutual respect, and accountability are upheld. Pettiness, gossip, and political scheming only weaken institutions and erode trust. History often remembers leaders not for the crises they inherit, but for the character they display in response. In paying the 2025 Christmas bonus, Governor Fubara chose legacy over impulse, maturity over malice.
And so, it came to pass that focus defeated revenge, governance triumphed over bitterness, and Rivers State was reminded that true leadership is proven when restraint is expected least but delivered most. Beyond the symbolism of the Christmas bonus lies a deeper question about the kind of political culture Rivers State intends to cultivate in the years ahead. Periods of emergency rule, anywhere in the world, often leave behind residues of suspicion, fear, and silent realignments. Institutions do not emerge untouched; individuals recalibrate loyalties, some out of conviction, others out of self-preservation. What distinguishes stable democracies from fragile ones is not the absence of such moments, but the discipline with which leadership manages their aftermath. River.
King Onunwor
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Opinion

That Withdrawal of Police   Orderlies  From VIPs

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6 days ago

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January 2, 2026

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Quote:”Balancing VIP security with public safety remains a tightrope walk in a country where the majority of citizens are still under-protected.”
The Presidential announcement on the removal of police orderlies from persons in authority and their relations  ( Very Important Persons ) last month came as a relief to many Nigerians who felt deprived    of one major  role of government ; security of lives and property.The higher  population of Nigerians  missed needed security because the VIPs and the VVIPs kept  retinue of Police Officers  totalling over 100 ,000 to  themselves and their family members as if they are all that matter  while some  communities under attack of terrorists  have no single unit of  police station located there in. While many hailed the announcement , some said perhaps the government has just woken up to her major responsibility of securing the lives and property of all  citizens while many expressed indifference on the note that it may be one of those pronouncements which come only in words but no action .Many keep their fingers crossed watching how it will play out , how Mr President  will  go about the implementation of the seemingly dicey  policy .
Benjamin Franklin  said “well said is better than well done ”  It is sufficient today to say that many Nigerians including me are still waiting and watching to see  how well  and how long this  return  of the Police service to the ordinary people will go . Wishing hopes will not be crashed ,  It  is note worthy, that  the recent complaints by the VIPs of being exposed to attacks  may in a way affect the action on implementation. Recently, at Senate plenary , another worrisome  angle came up as Senator Abdul Ningi  coming through a motion    disclosed that he had only one police officer attached to him ( his office ) and that  the officer was recalled the week before following  Mr President’s directive  . Senator Ningi said the withdrawal exposed him to high risks but underscored the angle that while his orderly  was recalled , many other politicians , men  and women in authority, business concerns   foreigners  and even children of some  VIPs are still enjoying retinue of police protection ( officially attached to them ).
 It’s note  worthy also that the Deputy Senate President , Distinguished Senator Jibrin Barau,  who presided  over  the session revealed that the  leadership of both chambers are already in discussion with President Tinubu on the need  to exempt  the law makers  from the new policy .  Senator Ningi may not be  wrong . After all he emphasized he is okay  provided that the removal of the Police Orderlies be done across board . Senator Barau noted that talks are on  over the issue of law makers’    in line with international practice . Further details from the Presidency  noted  that   Presiding officers  will retain their  police officers ,  others would have Civil Defense  officers ( NSCDC) as orderlies while  any other VIP who feels he or she deserves personal police protection should get clearance from  his office . In the midst of all  issues weighing in on the proper implementation , it becomes necessary  to bear in mind that  the decision  hinges on  the realization that Nigeria has peculiar security issues (of kidnappings, banditry, and terrorism.) and that  majority of Nigerians   are under protected.
More so, that if well  implemented, Police officers will focus on core duties; even as 30,000 new police officers are to  recruited to enhance security .That implementation  must be made in a  way that leaves no room.for selective  treatment loss of confidence  and  controversies.  Looking at previous attempts of  implementation  of this policy  gives faint hope  as several  attempts consistently failed . Former  IGPs like Tafa Balogun (2003), Ogbonnaya Onovo (2009), and Ibrahim Idris (2018) tried  the policy but all  failed due to political resistance from various angles. All the failed attempts  were tied to lack of political will  mostly due to the fact that the directives came from police chiefs, not the president. Selective Enforcement was another killer to the policy  as  partial implementation  met  resistance   and   later  reversal . Egbetokun (2023) and Adamu (2020) saw minimal impact.
Further more entrenched corruption in the system saw  Politicians and VIPs quietly regain police escorts due to ‘transactional economics”and pressure. Worse still the mindset of the  police officers  withdrawn didn’t help the policy Underpaid police prioritize VIP duties for extra benefits. Many wish President Tinubu’s move can  break this cycle.  As at today, he  still  insists the move is non-negotiable while stressing collaboration with states to upgrade training facilities. As citizens look forward to  success of the policy  without undue exposure of both sides, balancing VIP security with public safety remains a tightrope walk. Talk fades ; action echoes.  How the Presidency  implements this policy.  has  much to tell on the governments stand on national / community  security , choice of priority and the ability to   stand uncomprised . The known  goal is clear:  The outcome is  not yet certain.  Fingers crossed , we await . Definitely , time will tell.
By: Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi.
s State stood at such a crossroads in September 2025. The temptation to rule with a long memory and a heavy hand was real. Yet, the choice made signaled a preference for healing over hardening. Leadership after crisis demands more than administrative competence; it requires moral clarity.
 Governor Fubara’s decision reminded the state that authority is not best exercised through silent punishment or selective generosity. Rather, it is strengthened when rules remain rules, irrespective of personal injury. By keeping faith with workers, the government preserved an essential firewall between politics and public service. That firewall, once breached, turns governance into a battlefield where livelihoods become weapons. Rivers State narrowly avoided that descent. In doing so, it affirmed that institutions must outlive tempers, and governance must not mirror the bitterness of political seasons. This moment also invites sober introspection within the civil service itself. Allegations of partisanship, if left unresolved, corrode professionalism and weaken public confidence. A civil service that drifts into political camps loses its moral authority and operational effectiveness.
Therefore, reform, where necessary, should be guided by due process, transparency, and institutional review—not whispers, witch-hunts, or mob verdicts. Accountability strengthens systems when it is fair; it destroys them when it is arbitrary. The restraint shown by the executive places a corresponding burden on administrative leadership to restore discipline, neutrality, and pride in public service. For the wider political class and the commentariat, the episode serves as a caution against normalizing cruelty as strategy. The eagerness with which some anticipated workers’ suffering revealed a dangerous appetite for scorched-earth politics. When governance becomes a spectator sport where pain is cheered and deprivation is weaponized, society inches toward moral exhaustion. Rivers State has seen enough turbulence to know that stability is not sustained by triumphalism, but by restraint.
The lesson is simple yet profound: power is fleeting, but institutions endure; leaders pass, but precedents remain. In the end, the payment of the 2025 Christmas bonus was more than a fiscal act—it was a civic statement. It told workers they were not expendable. It told political actors that revenge would not be policy. And it told the state that maturity in leadership is not weakness, but strength under control. In a climate where many expected fire, restraint prevailed; where bitterness was predicted, balance emerged. Thus, Rivers State was offered a rare reminder that governance, at its best, is an act of discipline, and leadership, at its highest, is the courage to rise above provocation.
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