‘Shameful’ of Buhari’s govt to import COVID-19 herbal drug from Madagascar —PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Tuesday faulted the Federal Government’s decision to approve the importation of Madagascan herbal therapy for treatment of COVID-19 patients in the country.

The party in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, also chided President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for allegedly failing to make the most of homegrown remedies.

The PDP stressed that while it has nothing against any genuine effort to secure therapeutics for COVID-19, it believed similar solutions abounded in Nigeria but had remained untapped because of the failure of the current administration to heed to wise counsel to look inwards for answers to the COVID-19 conundrum.

The stated read: “Nigerians would recall that the PDP had been urging President Buhari to acknowledge our indigenous potentials and mobilize homegrown solutions, given our abundant curative flora, globally recognized healing traditions as well as experienced researchers and experts in various institutions across our country, but to no avail.

“Instead, the Buhari presidency and its inept Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 sat on our national potentials to wait for foreign solutions, while other African leaders are busy looking inwards for remedies.

“It is indeed despicable and shameful that instead of leading other African countries for solutions, as the Giant of Africa, President Buhari’s incompetent, lethargic, indolent and aimless administration is going to Madagascar to purchase remedies that abound in our country.

“The Buhari-led All Progressives Congress, APC administration has continued to snub entreaties by Nigerians to mobilize our abounding indigenous manufacturers and researchers for production of therapeutics, including ventilators, kits and medicines just like Madagascar and Senegal.

“If the leaders of Madagascar did not lead from the front and looked inwards to produce the COVID Organics, would President Buhari be running to them for the solution?

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“Our party, therefore, calls on the Buhari administration to end its unnecessary political parochialism and mobilize our indigenous researchers for a homegrown solution in the interest of our nation.

“The PDP believes in our national potentials in all spheres of life including therapeutics and calls on our researchers not to allow such to waste.”

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