The Honorable member representing Aba North and South federal constituency in the national assembly, Honorable Prestige Ossy has moved a motion demanding that the Federal Government support alternative medicine in the fight against COVID 19 pandemic.

He moved this motion yesterday on the floor of the house, while revealing that other nations have started exploring alternative medicines in the bid to protect their people from the ravaging COVID 19 or Coronavirus.

The honorable member who has moved numerous life touching bills, urged the Government to support and encourage the use of our locally developed remedies for the management and treatment of Covid-19 ailments in Nigeria in order to ascertain their efficacy.

He also mandate the House Committee on Health to interface with the relevant government agency to ensure that our locally developed remedies for the treatment of Covid-19 are included in the clinical trials by the WHO under its “Solidarity initiative.

READ FULL MOTION BY HONORABLE PRESTIGE OSSY:

MOTION ON THE NEED TO SUPPORT THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF COVID-19 CASES IN NIGERIA

Sponsored by: Hon. Prestige Ossy

The House:

Notes the outbreak of coronavirus disease otherwise known as Covid-19 pandemic with more than four million confimed cases of infection around the world and a global death toll of over two hundred and seventy seven thousand and still counting.

Notes also that Nigeria has over 4,641confirmed cases and over 150 deaths and that the virus is spreading to virtually all states of federation at alarming rate.

Aware that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not found any effective cure or vaccine for this virus ravaging the world but has launched an international clinical trials known as “Solidarity” to help find an effective cure for this disease.

Further Aware that WHO has cautioned against the use of any drug or treatment that has not undergone clinical trials or administering these unproven treatments to patients with COVID-19.

Observes that some countries have jettisoned this caution by WHO and gone ahead to develop indigenous treatments to combat the ravaging effects of this virus on their citizens.

Informed that Israeli Institute for Biological Research have successfully developed a series of antibodies to combat the Coronavirus. The Israeli President is considering building a vaccine production plant for the production of vaccines to treat Covid-19 patients.

Further informed that Madagascar a small African Country took their destinies in their hands and to the consternation of the WHO and the Centre for Desease Control, developed a herbal drink for the treatment of Covid-19 patients from a medicinal plant Artemisia Annua, which their herbal research institutes have been studying for over 30 years. Madagascar so far has not recorded any death from Covid-19 cases.

Cognizant that in recognition of this feat by Madagascar the WHO has come out with a statement in support of considering Madagascar’s Herbal drink as possible treatment for Covid-19. The President of the country said the factory for the mass production of the herbal drink will be operational in one month.

Further cognizant that the Madagascar herbal drink has received recognition and boost from other African Presidents of Tanzania Equatorial Guinea, Uganda, Egypt, Senegal, Guinea Bissau and Comoros and have ordered the Madagascar herbal drink for the treatment of Covid-19 cases in their various countries.

Worried that various similar claims of breakthroughs in the cure of Covid-19 by our scientists and alternative medical practitioners have received virtually no attention from the Government, the ministry of health, the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 or the National Centre for Disease Control.

Further worried that the government and its agencies have instead voluntered for the WHO “solidarity” programne where sadly our citizens will be used as “lab rats” for WHO’s untested and unproven vaccines and treatments that are not indigenous to our people.

Aware that Professor Humphrey Nwosu the Chief Executive Officer of Bioresources Institute of Nigeria stated that his team of researchers have found a cure for coronavirus which information has been conveyed to the ministers of health and science and technology and till date no action has been taken by government to verify the authenticity of this claim.

Further aware that the Traditional Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Department of the Ministry of Health has written to the Director-General of the NAFDAC informing him that the Department through its research has formhulated a possible cure for the management of Covid-19 ailments.

Aware also that the Anambra Traditional Medicine Board headed by Reverend Father Raymond Arazu a Catholic reverend father and foremost traditional medical practioner has announced that the Board has developed a cure for Covid-19 novel virus.

Informed that a Nigerian Pharmaceutical Company headed by Dr. Paul Olisah Ojeih have come out with claims that the Covid-19 pandemic has become a money making venture for certain privileged Nigerians and that his company Iris Medical Foundation Drugs and Pharmaceutical have developed a drug that can cure Covid-19 in 72 hours.

Further informed that the medical practitioner has challenged the Government to give him 10 infected patients and allow him to place them on his drug known as Venedi Elixir which has been used in the past 18 years in the treatment of viral infections that are drug resistant. Affirming that he is willing to infect himself first with the virus and cure himself under 72 hours using the drug.

Aware that Nigeria is bleseed with medicinal plants which can be exploited for the management of Covid-19 disease and some of them have documented scientific evidence of long use for the management of respiratory infections with medicinal properties of anti inflammatory and antiviral effects.

Concerned that instead of our government to look inwards and encourage our scientists and alternative herbal practitioners like other countries are doing, we are rather waiting for the WHO for a cure and subjecting our people to be used as experimental guinea pigs for vaccines which are still in their developmental stages.

Believes that there is need to encourage and support some of the claims by our local scientists and alternative medical practitioners as some of their claims sounds convincing enough to harzard a trial of the drugs developed by them, after all it is still the same trial of treatments that WHO is currently engaged in and they have come out to support the breakthrough from Madagascar so why not try Nigerian remedies as well?

Accordingly Resolves to:

1. Urge the Government to support and encourage the use of our locally developed remedies for the management and treatment of Covid-19 ailments in Nigeria in order to ascertain their efficacy.
2. Mandate the House Committee on Health to interface with the relevant government agency to ensure that our locally developed remedies for the treatment of Covid-19 are included in the clinical trials by the WHO under its “Solidarity initiative.

I so move.

CP: AFNews