The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has said that President Bola Tinubu‘s administration is planning to establish funds for the research and development of natural medicine.
He made this known in Lagos at the weekend during the unveiling of four drugs produced by the Nigerian National Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNNMDA).
This visit also marked the minister’s first trip to the agency.
The new drugs are Namdune (200mg) meant for Anti-ageing, Namdasan (200mg) for anti-sickling, Aberecin (200mg) for anti-diabetes and Nanobere (50kg).
The minister, who lauded the efforts of the agency for carrying out research to produce the drugs, emphasized the importance of research and development in the natural medicine sector for the growth, well-being and progress of the nation.
He said: “This is the kind of innovation, the kind of science we are talking about in science and tech and this is why our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu said that science remains the key to nation building.
“Part of what we keep saying is that there must be research and development funds. So, the President and the government, are looking at it very seriously. If we have research and development funds, the issue of drug hikes will be addressed that is on the one hand. When I came in as a minister, I insisted that my key area is to commercialise what we have on the shelves, the development, the research we have on the shelf, and this is part of the store.”
Regarding the distribution of the unveiled medicines to the general public, the minister stated that it would be facilitated through government funding and partnerships with the private sector.
He said: “Once we have research and development funding and private partners, which we are searching for, we’ve gotten a couple of them. But it depends on what they are going to choose. Remember, these are not the only four products that we have. There are over 15 to 20 of them on the shelf. That was why I had to come for an inspection because I have to take note of them.”
The agency’s Director General/Chief Executive Officer (DG/CEO), Prof Martins Emeje, appreciated the federal government’s plans to establish a research and development fund, urging the federal government to ensure the application of proposals before researchers can access the fund.
He noted: “I am happy that this government is talking about research funds. In my opinion, when the government launches it, they should put money there and not give it to anybody.
“Let all of us who are scientists, lecturers in the university, and research institutes in this country write a competitive proposal to that research fund. Let’s see who wins the research? That is how it is done.”
Prof Emeje also disclosed that before the end of the year, the Agency will be unveiling 11 more locally formulated drugs for various infections.
Noting that the Agency’s research farms across the country were generating positive results, he explained that they have done all the laboratory animal investigations and proven that the products are efficacious based on their animal studies.
He described the unveiled four products as natural harping that expresses the ingenuity of researchers in the agency.
He stated: “The products are for upper respiratory infections, cough, catarrh, and you know many of them are on viral etiology which means they go on their own, but in most cases, our people go get antibiotics.
“There are things that nature has already produced. Nature is the best laboratory in the world, but you see that pride does not allow people who have gone to school to go and understudy nature.”
He disclosed that by October this year, President Bola Tinubu will be launching 11 more products formulated by the agency, adding that the 11 products would create not less than 2 million jobs.
He added: “Nigeria is the biggest black nation in the world. Nigeria has the highest plant biodiversity in Africa. So if we are talking of contribution to health in the herbal area, is Nigeria not supposed to be on top? And we at NNMDA, are very serious about it. All we just need is to allow us to do our work.”
