As TCAM, NAFDAC Get Set to Announce Cov-herbal Solution

Prof. Osagie Ehinare, Health Minister

With uncertainty, fear and anxiety enveloping the world, with the dead and dying increasing daily, with economies on a downward spiral and humanity caught napping by Coronavirus Pandemic which began last year in city of Wuhan in China, all countries of the world are in one level of infection or another by the Pandemic.

Notwithstanding the many theories surrounding the origin/cause(s) of the global spread of the Virus, governments are more committed to seeking a cure and saving lives of their citizens than looking for who to blame.

In Nigeria, efforts at finding a cure are either drowned by voices announcing the numbers of cases of persons affected, cured and discharged or the shouts of hunger by the multitude of poor citizens has deafened governments officials at the Local, State and Federal level so badly that the shouts by Nigerian saying they have found a cure for the Virus cannot be heard.

The caliber of persons talking about possible cures for the Pandemic are such that in some other climes, they would have been given attention/chance to prove the potency of their discoveries.

From royal fathers to university dons, there are strident, piercing shouts of possible Cures for Covid19 in Nigeria by Nigerians which so far have been ignored.

The Ooni of Ife, Ooni Enitan Ogunwusi believes that natural herbs can cure COVID-19. He tweeted that he is working in collaboration with others to create an herbal therapy to be mass-produced and packaged for sale.

The Ooni of Ife, Ooni Enitan Ogunwusi

According to the Oni “It is about time to save the world now. Tomorrow may be too late”.

Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, in the ongoing search for a Covid19 cure called for a return to ‘the roots’ in order to get indigenous solutions to the problems of Africa in health and other areas.

Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi

In his words “There were no sicknesses or diseases under the surface of the earth that our forefathers were not capable of healing. I know that those powers are still potent and are present in us today,” the Oba is quoted to have said.

Other Nigerians that have laid claims to having a curative antidote to the Coronavirus infection are:

Prof Joseph Akpa

Prof. Joseph Akpa is the Provost of Foundation for Energy Health College of Science and Technology, Mgbowo, Enugu state.

“I will challenge any health institute or agency to bring any known case of Coronavirus to me and see how it will disappear within a few days. If the government approaches me to cure any known case, I will voluntarily do so without any condition attached to it,’’ he assured.

Prof Akpa insists that Coronavirus known as “coronaviridae’’ is among thousands of viruses known to man which before now was not popular.

Prof Maurice Iwu

Maurice Mmaduakolam Iwu is a professor of Pharmacognosy and President/CEO of Bioresources Development Group (BDG), Abuja; International Centre for Ethnomedicine and Drug Development (InterCEDD) Nsukka, Enugu State and Bioresources Institute of Nigeria, Umuna, Onu-Imo, Okigwe, Imo State.

An Isolation Center

According to Prof Iwu “The drug discovery project was started at the University of Nigeria Nsukka where I was a Professor of Pharmacognosy and continued in America when I was a visiting Scholar at the Division of Experimental Therapeutics of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington DC USA (1994 -2003).

Prof Iwu is a member of the Task Force on Covid19 in Imo and Enugu states.

Professor Ayodele Israel Adeleye

A former lecturer in microbiology and principal staff at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Kaduna State claims he has a cure for the coronavirus pandemic.

“If the government brings in five people with Covid-19, I will treat them for free right in front of your cameras. It will take between three and five days to cure a Covid-19 patient completely”, he said

Dr. Bande//Bayero University Kano

Dr Faruku Bande, who hails from Yabo Local Government in Sokoto State is a Virologist by training whose research interest cut across molecular virology, immunology and vaccine development for both animals and humans.

Bande expresses hope that in collaboration with his colleagues and partners a cure for Covid19 is very possible.

Dr. Ola Olasumbo has asked the Federal and Ondo State Governments to allow him treat some patients suffering from COVID-19 free of charge.

According to him, “When the virus was reported in China with subsequent confirmed cases in other parts of the world, the association of herbal practitioners in Nigeria met and it was resolved that everyone should go into research towards finding a cure for the virus.

“After months of research, I discovered the drug which has already been produced. But what I’m waiting for now is NAFDAC’s approval for the clinical trial to commence.

“In the past, I have produced drugs which cured measles and chicken pox as well as other life threatening ailments. So, with this latest discovery, I’m certain that COVID-19 has been defeated.” Dr. Olasumbo declares.

Pharmacist Ben Amodu is based in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, in a videoa made public, Amodu announced his herbal Cure for Covid19 as well as cure for other ailments.

Dr. Paul Olisa Ojeih is the Managing Director of Iris Medical Foundation Drugs and Pharmaceuticals describes the Coronavirus as a baby virus compared to other viruses.

Speaking on his Cure, Dr. Ojeih said he has made contact with the ministers of Information and Health Alh. Lai Mohammed and Prof Osagie Ehinare respectively to be given a chance to demonstrate his cure without success.

In his words “I have sounded the alarm that Corona virus is a baby virus. It is a friendly virus that is perfectly curable.  This is a virus that is very stable in clinicals, a virus that does no harm to the body tissues and organs except when not treated. The virus can be within you and your body system still functions perfectly well within 72 hours or even longer”.

“This cannot be said of other deadly virus such as Ebola. Immediately Ebola enters your blood stream your immune gets compromised and shuts down within 48hours, you start bleeding from all bodily pores all openings and orifice within 72 hours you are re dead”.

“We at Iris medical foundation for over 25 years have been into drug research and cure; we understand what it means to compound drugs from plants and enzymes and synthesis it into potent cure”.

Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Jawa from Yobe state informs that he developed his cure using African Traditional Medicals, ATMS, diagnosis based on available info on the pandemic.

We gathered that the Yobe State Governor, Honourable Mai Mala Buni, the Minister, Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid19 are in receipt of Dr. Jawa’s mixture.

Governors in the fray

Governors El-Rufai of Kaduna, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde of Oyo states all tested positive to Covid19 at different times. Though they have fully recovered, the effects of the pandemic is stretching health facilities in these and other states in Nigeria.

According to El-Rufai “Each and every case of COVID-19 we have had in the state was imported. I was the index case, fortunately, I would say, because it served to scare everyone in the state to come to the reality that COVID-19 is real; it’s not a joke.

Malam El-Rufai, Kaduna State Governor

“I got it in Abuja and I infected four other people. Happily, all of us are okay now. We are all back to our normal lives. We didn’t want to expose any of our frontline workers to any risk, so we have a lot of PPEs for all our health workers who are insured to a minimum of N5m each.

For Seyi Makinde, it was thanksgiving and gratitude when he said “I am deeply moved by your prayers and support throughout this period. I am so thankful,”

Mr. Seyi Makinde, Oyo State Governor

“I am also grateful to all members of the Task Force for their cooperation during this time. I will be resuming my responsibility as Head of the Task Force immediately”

No Apologies

Bala Mohammed, Bauchi State Governor

Vilified for making public the drugs he took to recover from the Covid19 scare, the governor of Bauchi state fired a salvo at his accusers “There’s no reason for anybody to misunderstand me. I can’t sit by and watch my people die. I said that I took Chloroquine, Zithromax and Zinc to recover from Covid-19. And I have told my team to do whatever that is necessary to preserve the lives of Bauchi people, therefore, I have no apologies.

For Prof Benedict Bengioushuye Ayade of Cross River State, it is a different story.

While there is no confirmed case of the Virus in Cross River State, the Governor has not been silent on the pandemic.

In one of his many comments Ayade said “Because I am a professor of science and I know how this virus moves; I know its etiology, I know its transmissibility; I know its antigenicity; because I do, I know that once you put on these masks, you already have been protected. You don’t need social distancing when you are properly protected because of your mucal glands that secrets the mucus and the musins already form a network of coats to attack the virus.”

On the search for Vaccine Prof Ayade declared “With the money you have now, you can set up a proper vaccine production plant, a first of its kind, a world-class vaccine production plant, very easy.

“I teach immunology in the university. What do you do? That healthy man you said has recovered, you have discharged 19, you have discharged 20, that means those people are strong and healthy enough that their antibodies they have generated, you can extract it and pass it through ….(a laboratory process) to establish the active ingredient that responded to the coronavirus. Then synthesize it in large quantity and mass produce it. And that becomes your vaccine.”

Breakthrough?

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari is not averse to the possibility of using local herbs to fight COVID-19 pandemic but insisted that the Nigeria Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NIPRD, must first certify any such remedy.

Interestingly, the Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Department, TCAM, under the Federal Ministry of Health may have found a Cure for the Covid19 Pandemic.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, A.M Abdullahi in a letter to the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, said:

Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, NAFDAC DG

 “This is to convey my compliments to you. As you are aware, the COVID-19 pandemic is currently ravaging the world with no definite treatment or vaccine. This has necessitated countries to look for solution from within and Nigeria is no exception. It is worthy to note that Nigeria is blessed with medicinal plants which could be exploited.

“It is heart-warming to note that the Department of TCAM has taken the pains to research into scientific materials to come up with a formulation intended for the management of cough in COVID-19 and other cough related infections.

“The formulation is Cov-herbal cough mixture. All the ingredients that make up the formulations are medicinal plants that are widely used as food materials and medicines”

“They include: Allium sativa (Garlic); Allium cepa (Onions); Zingiber officinale (Ginger); Piper guineense (West African Black Pepper); and Andasonia digitata (Baobab fruit).

“The innovation here is the composition of the formulation. “These medicinal plants have documented scientific evidences of long use for the management of cough and other respiratory infections, with medicinal properties of mucolytic, antitussive, expectorant, soothing, demulcent, anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects”.

NAFDAC as an Agency under the ministry of health is expected to expedite action leading to the launch of Cov-herbal as the official Cure for Covid19 in Nigeria.

It should be the second cure in Africa coming after Madagascar’s Covid-Organics and third in the world following the United State approved Remdesivir.