The federal government on Monday met with some selected scientists and herbalists across the country on effective herbal remedies for the treatment and management of COVID-19, in a way that meets the best global standard.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, who represented the federal government at the meeting in Abuja on Monday, said the objective of the meeting was to avail Nigerians with efforts being made by the government towards developing a genuine, reliable and effective home-grown remedy for the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Onu said Nigeria must develop the capacity, through research and innovation, to look after the healthcare needs of Nigerians.
The minister said FG was committed to the search for indigenous solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic which remains a substantial threat to the health of the people and the economic prosperity of the nation.
“We are confident that arising from this meeting, we will be able to find the best way to harness local expertise and resources in the development of either a home-grown vaccine or a curative agent against COVID-19,” he said.
He said using homegrown remedies was a sustainable and dependable strategy to ensure that Nigerians were protected against the deadly virus.
He added: “This will also help us to build our capacity to protect our people against future outbreaks of infectious viral diseases of public health concern.”
Daily Trust reports that scientists and herbalists made presentations at the meeting on the efficacy and mode of action required for effective treatment and management of the COVID-19 scourge.