Following the decision of the federal government to okay the importation of herbal therapy from Madagascar to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Tuesday, blasted President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly failing to make the most of homegrown remedies.
A statement issued by the party’s national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan on Tuesday noted that While the PDP has nothing against any genuine effort to secure therapeutics for COVID-19, “our party holds that such solutions as developed by Madagascar abound in Nigeria but had remained untapped because of the failure of the Buhari administration to heed to wise counsel to look inwards for answers.”
The stated added: “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.
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“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 CovidOrganics, would President Buhari be running to them for solution?
“Our party therefore calls on the Buhari administration to end its unnecessary political parochialism and mobilize our indigenous researchers for 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.
“The PDP however urges Nigerians to intensify their efforts towards personal health protection as well as observing the health safety directions of social distancing, personal hygiene and other restrictions by health authorities, as we collectively check the spread of COVID-19 in our country.”
