How Nigeria ignored Ooni of Ife, Maurice Iwu and others who claimed to have COVID-19 cure for Madagascar tonic
Madagascar has suddenly become the beautiful bride many African countries are now chasing to get a cure for the deadly COVID-19 which has spread to 53 of the 54 African nations. It may look ironical, but it is the reality, many nations are now running to the Southern Africa country for help forgetting its status as one of the poorest countries in the world with 75% of the population living on less than $1.90 per day according to the World Bank.
In a part of the world where people tend to appreciate and value western products more than indigenous innovations, Madagascar COVID-19 organics has continued to gain a lot of traction from many African countries.
With the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that Africa could see a more prolonged outbreak that lasts a few years, saying Algeria, South Africa and Cameroon as well as several smaller African countries are at high risk if containment measures are not prioritized, the continent is left with no choice but to embrace local innovation as the long wait for COVID-19 vaccine from the West looks unending.
Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Guinea Bissau have all already taken delivery of thousands of doses of the plant-based COVID-19 Organics free of charge. On Monday, Nigeria joined the growing list of nations that have indicated interest in the Madagascar’s herbal cure.
Guinea Bissau received over 16,000 doses of the organics last week which it is now distributing to the 14 other West African nations including Nigeria. Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina has attributed recovery of more than 100 COVID-19 patients in Madagascar to the herbal tonic.
The Secretary to Government of the Federation who also doubles as Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha announced, on Monday, that President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the importation of the herbal cure to Nigeria.
“Madagascar has made allocations to various countries, and sent them to Guinea Bissau. We‘re supposed to make arrangements to freight Nigeria’s allocation from Guinea Bissau; it‘ll be subjected to the standard validation process for pharmaceuticals,” Mustapha said.
“Mr President has given instructions for the airlifting of Nigeria’s allocation of the Madagascar COVID-19 Syrup; also given clear instructions that it must be subjected to the standard validation process for pharmaceuticals; there will be no exceptions for this.”
The government is taking this step at a time the country’s COVID-19 cases is nearing 5,000 and several weeks after some prominent Nigerians announced that they have local remedies for the virus but were ignored and taunted by many Nigerians.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Maurice Iwu, Professor Joseph Akpa and Rev Fr Anselm Adodo are some of the Nigerians who said they are working on/developed a possible cure for the deadly virus.
Ooni of Ife:
In a post shared on his official social media pages on Monday March 30, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, listed some herbs he said can cure COVID-19 and how they can be used.
He wrote: “a divine proclamation came out to the world last year June 6th, 2019, during the World Ifa Festival – Otura Meji. We foretold about the impending rage of this invisible pandemic war, but few heard us”.
According to the Ooni, the following herbs are potent enough to heal anyone down with the virus: Boundary tree leaves (Botanical name- Newbouldia laevis, Yoruba – Ewe Akoko), Neem leave and fruits or Indian lilac (Botanical – Azadirachta indica, Yoruba- ewe dogoyaro), onion (Botanical name – Allium cepa; Yoruba – Alubosa), forest anchomanes (Botanical name – Anchomanes difformis, Yoruba -Ogirisako); aridan (Botanical name – Tetrapleura tetraptera) African pepper/Ngero pepper/Guinea pepper (Botanical name – Xylopia aethiopica, Yoruba Eeru or Erinje); Bitter leaf (Botanical name – Vernonia amygdalina, Yoruba – Ewuro, Sulfur (Yoruba – Iyin Ojo).
Speaking in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Wednesday April 29, 2020, after donating two motorised modular fumigators to the state government, Oba Ogunwusi also said that the traditional cure for the virus had reached an advanced stage and would be made available to the public very soon.
However, in another post on his Facebook page last Wednesday, the monarch described as shameful, the reactions of Nigerians to his recommendations.
“It’s a shame. The OONI prescribed Herbal Medicine for Nigerians, they didn’t believe him, told him he is not a doctor of what he inherited from his ancestors. Now another country took it up and also upgraded it – Madagascar.
“China as a Nation used herbal means to cure for more than 70% of their covid-19 cases. It’s on record. Going forward in this country, let us use local means to proffer local solutions to all our problems. God bless Nigeria and our leaders,” the monarch wrote on his page.
Prof Maurice Iwu:
The former INEC Chairman, like the Ooni of Ife, also raised hopes for a potential cure for the virus when he announced in March that his team of researchers has developed compounds believed to cure coronavirus.
The Professor of Pharmacognosy and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bioresources Development Group (BDG), Abuja had presented the plant-based patented treatment for COVID-19 to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.
But, Iwu while speaking on a Zoom Conference, a few days ago, said the federal government is yet to show interest in the drug and called on the National Assembly to organise emergency Public hearing on the issue.
Rev. Fr. Anselm Adodo
Rev. Fr (Dr.) Anselm Adodo, a Benedictine monk who is the director of Pax Herbal Centre, Ewu, Edo State, also revealed earlier this month that the organisation has developed, Pax CVD Plus, a herbal formulation that has the potential to treat COVID-19.
Adodo, however, said “NAFDAC asked us not to go further with the herbal formulation until a proper clinical trial has been concluded,” following claim by Pax Herbal that it was working with the agency to speed up approval for the use of the formulation.
Professor Joseph Akpa
The Provost of Luminar International College of Alternative Medicine, Enugu, Prof. Joseph Akpa, said at a press conference in Enugu in April that he has found a cure for coronavirus.
He said: “I will challenge any health institution or agency to bring any known case of coronavirus to me and see how it will disappear within a few days.”
These Nigerians are not alone with the demeaning perceptions their formulations have received, Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina has also criticised WHO for not endorsing its COVID-19 herbal cure despite being widely accepted across Africa.
According to him, the problem with the cure is that it is made in Africa “and they cannot accept that a country like Madagascar, which is one of the poorest countries in the world, has discovered this formula to save the world”.
He wondered: “If it were a European country which had discovered this remedy, would there be so many doubts.”
The Director General or the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Professor Babatunde Salako, however, told Neusroom that the Madagascar herbal cure must first undergo safety check befor it is released for public consumption.
