The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, has inaugurated a Committee on Covid-19 Herbal Remedies and Natural Compounds.
The Minister who emphasised the threats posed by COVID-19 to the health and well-being of Nigerians and the national economy reiterated the urgent need to develop a home-grown remedy and vaccine to tackle it.
Speaking at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, Onu said the Committee, made up of eminent scientists and fellows of the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) will work to authenticate claims by researchers, scientists, and traditional medical practitioners of cure and herbal remedy for COVID-19.
The Minister urged members of the Committee to vigorously scrutinize and evaluate all claims brought before it, adding that it should identify the remedies with the brightest prospects for providing protection and healing to affected persons or those at the risk of contracting the dreaded disease.
According to him, the “quest for a home-grown remedy for COVID-19 by the Ministry is in consonance with President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to diversify the economy”.
He added that the ministry is tirelessly working with all relevant stakeholders, particularly the Federal Ministry of Health, to find a solution to COVID-19.
Onu noted that Nigeria, with 172 other countries has been making frantic efforts for enhanced access to Covid-19 vaccines by participating in COVAX, a global initiative to provide worldwide access to safe and effective vaccines.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee and President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Emeritus Prof. Motso Onuoha, said Nigerians have the capacity to find solutions to the global Covid-19 pandemic. He said the Committee will work closely with all relevant stakeholders to scrutinize and verify claims on the cure for Covid-19.
