UYO – A Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Uyo, Prof. Jude Efiom Okokon, has declared that Nigeria possesses enormous potentials to transform its traditional medicine sector into a major foreign exchange earner through the development and commercialization of medicinal plants.
Prof. Okokon stated this at the 133rd Inaugural Lecture of the institution in Uyo
adding that, the country is richly endowed with therapeutic plants, whose active ingredients, if scientifically analysed, standardized and formulated into drugs and supplements, could position Nigeria as a global leader in traditional medicine and healthcare innovation.
The 133rd Inaugural Lecture was titled: “Bioprospecting the Therapeutic Treasures in Plants: The Ancestral Wisdom and Scientific Innovations for Sustainable Healthcare and Autarky”.
According to him, medicine can be sourced from micro-organisms, plants and animals, stressing that the vast medicinal resources found in farms, gardens and forests across Nigeria hold the key to curing numerous diseases if properly harnessed.
He maintained that with adequate government support, funding and provision of modern research equipment, Nigeria could attain both economic independence and healthcare self-sufficiency.
“There are many therapeutic treasures hidden in our plants, and much more would have been achieved if good working conditions and environment were provided as obtainable in other climes,” he said.
Okokon noted that, countries such as China and India have successfully developed their traditional medicine systems into global industries, arguing that Nigeria has the natural resources to surpass them if serious investments are made in research and development.
“Besides, if the plants mentioned above were to be exhaustively analysed, the active ingredients characterised, standardised and formulated into drugs and supplements, Asian countries like China and India, which have developed their traditional medicine so much, will not compete with Nigeria.
“One could imagine how much foreign exchange would have been attracted through the sale and export of these products in various formulations for various conditions.
“In fact, Nigeria’s economy would have been transformed from a petroleum-driven economy to a super economy. We will not be regarded as a low-income economy today if our naturally endowed medicinal plants were fully exploited,” he added.
The inaugural lecturer further disclosed that extensive research conducted on local medicinal plants in Akwa Ibom State and across the South-South region have shown promising therapeutic effects in the treatment of several ailments.
He listed such ailments to include malaria, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, prostate diseases, organ dysfunctions, pains and inflammation, among others.
Okokon also revealed that some of the medicinal plants possess anticonvulsant, antidepressant, immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties capable of improving healthcare delivery and disease management.
Despite the breakthroughs recorded in medicinal plant research, the professor lamented that inadequate funding remains a major challenge confronting scientific research in Nigerian universities.
He therefore appealed to the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to provide state-of-the-art research facilities and an enabling environment to boost innovation and unlock the nation’s vast medicinal potential.
“I believe that if the Nigerian government were to support research properly by providing an enabling environment, funding and necessary equipment, the sky would be our limit, and Nigeria would be truly independent economically and in healthcare,” he stated.
