The former National President, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and the former governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, Dr. Idris Omede while hosting correspondent Ayoola Amao in Yola, took a cursory look at the dreaded COVID-19 scourge, governments (Federal and States’) desperate efforts at safeguarding the citizenry, the lapses in the Central Bank of Nigeria’s N550billion research fund and expectations of herbal medical practitioners in the war against the pandemic. Excerpts below:

What are your views of the Federal Government’s handling of COVID-19?

So far so good, even though the lockdown of the entire country and the whole world has a great negative effect on all. Good enough, here in Africa, nature has been kind to us, we have not had a devastating record of the virus. The federal government has put a lot of mechanisms on the ground to ensure awareness towards the safety of all. All the lockdown, awareness in terms of social distancing, washing of hands and other necessary steps are to safeguard the citizenry. The federal government also made a nice step by ensuring that palliatives are considered for the masses; it has been an enough responsive way of getting to the grassroots. It may not be absolute and accurate though but it has been commendable. However, the crux of COVID-19 is Nigerians accepting the reality, enhance sensitization, abide by the guideline and protocol of COVID-19 as well as the individual personal and environmental hygiene. States and FCT should emulate and the improved health sector (Public and Private) approach by the Federal Government in their states and gross multisectoral engagement.

Does it mean that Africans or rather blacks are immuned to certain life-threatening diseases or viruses?

Agreed, a lot of us belong to the orthodox faith, unorthodox faith or traditional religions and God has a way of taking care of the natural disabled or vulnerable groups, in the context, the vulnerability or less privileged is not been physically handicapped but the inaccessibility to science and technologies and infrastructure and resources. It may not be impossible that God watches over Africans. Thank God that the federal government too did not relax efforts as it has instructed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to interfere with the N550 billion research and development fund. This is a very good and appreciative move amidst shortfall in global oil price.

But how comfortable is the NMA in the face of the CBN’s N550 billion research fund so as not to be another smokescreen for diversion and embezzlement?

CBN is a federal government agency and it is not for the NMA to dictate who and who constitute the board or committee that would oversee the project or monitor it, it for the agency responsible to monitor and to let the world know if money had been released to it. Making pronouncement is good enough and monitoring the project is better, I am sure NMA is quite in the know because it is sufficiently carried along. It is a good thing that we have all realised that our health system is weak. Come to think of it, Mr. President’s broadcast to the nation where he disclosed that N550 billion was released, he also added that the amount was to improve the state of our health system. If the said money is approved and released amidst transparency and equity, it would certainly crop up citizens’ confidence and trust in our health system. You know very well that before now, the budget of health has always been one digit, and even the one-digit is between the neighbourhood of one and six percent of the nation’s total budget but now there is the need for it to be geared to at least 15 per cent. If the presidency genuinely saying it and not just saying it to the pressmen that the released money is available, we will go a long way we will record serious advancement on our health sector but my worry there is already there is the downward review of the year budget because again, the source of funding of our budget has been tampered with because the non-agricultural sector has been affected by the poor price of a barrel of oil. For us at the NMA, it is a nice thing that pronouncement has been made but beyond pronouncement is our reservation.

Ordinarily, Nigerians expected outcry from especially the NMA, when the federal government slashed the health budget and at the same time it earmarked N27 Billion for the renovation of the National Assembly, why is your association unconcerned?

But we initially condemned it, even before the issue of COVID-19, when it was initially considered, NMA was among the groups that opposed it. Truly, we don’t see the rationale behind giving that so much money to the NASS more so that the budget has not even met the expenditure, NMA was a very vocal voice but in politics, maybe the executive wanted to be at peace with the legislative and the only way they felt they could do it was to placate the lawmakers with what they sought so that whatever they too (executive) are asking for, be it genuine or crooked like the foreign loan would oblige them. I agree with you that majority Nigerians are not happy with the misplaced preference.

You will agree that Nigeria is yet to come to term with the cure for COVID-19, what then is your advice on herbal treatment?

First and foremost, a lot of us are born and brought up with herbs and roots. What science is saying is a way of determining the efficacy, sufficiency and standard of any medical claim not just to safeguard somebody. Somebody might say “but we have been drinking this from the day immemorial” this is like saying people have been raping before now and nobody has said anything and as such it must continue, this is unreasonable. Let us consider this again: why do people now lock their doors when before now nobody would take what did not belong to them? Nobody has anything against herbal medicine or medication, what we have against herbal is being able to standardise it to a certain level and make the process dying with the original owner. The original owner must be ready to train people so that the idea may outlive him, that is what life is all about, that is continuity. Thank God the federal and state governments recognise herbal medicine that is why there are departments of traditional medicine, we have the federal board of traditional medicine, there is an Act setting them up. In some places, it is called alternative medicine though misunderstood. Alternative medicine is when you take your own traditional medicine to another country or vice versa, it has become alternative because it is not an indigenous there or here as the case may be. The contest here is standardisation and proper coordination.