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Alternative Medicine Can Bridge Unemployment, Naira/Dollar Gap – Professor Says

Published

2 months ago

July 22, 2024

By David Maxwell

A university don who has taken a vibrant interest in phyto-medicine research, Professor Benjamin Amodu, says Nigeria can reduce unemployment as well as bridge the forex gap between the Naira and Dollar through Traditional, Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, TCAM.

He said this is very possible if both the government and the people join hands to project the vast potentials of the country to the foreign world.

Speaking to our reporter, he said: “My message. is that let us have a very huge hope in our herbs which God has endowed on us based on our location on the geography of the earth.
“This is a huge blessing God has given us and some of us have researched into them. It is just left for us to believe in them.

“So let us join hands with the government and move this country forward and get people all over the world to make Nigeria the destination for medical tourism as we reverse the incessant trips to India, China, Egypt and all the other destinations. “I can tell you categorically that TCAM is the best way to go. In fact’ if there is political will on the part of government, the Naira/dollar ratio will level up.

“The bulk of importation of drug products will fall and we will conserve our foreign exchange and channel it into other sectors.

“Government should even stand in the gap because there are a lot of things that can be done in this sector.

“Let us depend more on whatever we produce and forget about over-dependence on importation. When that happens, this huge youth unemployment ratio will be closed up as our subsistence farmers will go into extensive farming and production of the needed raw materials. And in so doing, you know they will employ many more hands to enable them to do this.

“You can imagine that the United States of America projected to make $30bn dollars in 2023 alone from alternative and complementary medicine,” Amodu said.

He then called on the Tinubu administration to build on what the previous administrator started and make Nigeria the hub for medical tourism.”

The huge government investment into this untapped multi-billion dollar industry however remains to be seen. Amodu is a 1980 graduate of Industrial Pharmacy from the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, and a professor of phytho-medicine from the Triune Biblical University, USA.

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Nigeria Will Take Good Shape In No Distant Time- Olawande

Published

5 hours ago

September 16, 2024

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande has urged the citizens of the country to be patient with the Administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in transforming the lives of its citizens through various policies and programs of the federal government.

The Minister made this submission while delivering his speech at the Joint Union Negotiating Council’s week of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development branch. This is the first edition since both Ministries of Youth and Sports had been damaged. The JUNC week which was held at Atiku Hall, Office of Head of Civil Service of the Federation in Abuja had its theme: “The working people in a volatile, uncertain, and complex economy”

In the words of the Honourable Minister: “I urge you to be patient with this administration. In no distant time, the country will take good shape and the lives of its citizens will be transformed”.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not a pauper, he is an acknowledged epitome of wealth, and so it cannot be said of him that he desires to loot the treasury of Nigeria. He has seen money and as a result of this, he is not interested in looting the nation’s treasury”, Olawande explained.

He emphasized that “leadership is all about being committed to serve. If you are a Minister now, tomorrow you will be addressed as a former Minister, likewise a Director because there is no permanent position but the impact that you made while in that office will speak after you”, the Minister reiterated.

Olawande expressed his gratitude to the workers of the Ministry for being supportive of the government policies and programs. He promised that the welfare of the staff would not be compromised, adding that workers deserve remuneration for being hardworking.

Earlier in his address, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Olubunmi Olusanya admonished the staff of the Ministry to put in their best as “Performance Management System” which replaces APER is the criteria to be used for promotion effective next year. This, according to him is because the Performance Management System (PMS) records the best efforts and input of each staff which will in turn be used to grade such staff.

Olusanya who disclosed that the welfare of the staff is his priority as workers deserve the best for the services rendered. He opined that “the hungry man is angry and as a worker, if you are not treated fairly and properly, it is impossible to get the best out of you. As a result, all staff will be treated properly as motivation to propel the best in you”, he concluded.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Esther Didi Walson-Jack, OON, MNI, in her address, informed that the activity to reinvigorate the Civil Service in a bid to ensure that Civil Servants carry out their duties with much diligence to have efficient and incorruptible civil service is currently on course. She advised workers to wake up and be committed to the service of the nation.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Jerry Akume, the General Secretary of the Union expressed his delight in celebrating this year’s edition of the Union week, while highlighting the achievements of the union so far. These include:

Upward review of staff welfare, prompt payment of repatriation allowances, payment of first 28 days allowance, assistance to the sick, general training of staff, and sending forth/retirement package for retired staff.

He also appealed to the Management of the Ministry, saying that irrespective of the aforementioned achievements, a lot still needs to be done in such areas as procurement of staff buses, upward review of welfare payment for festive periods, consistent general staff training, and procurement of office and work materials.

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