Magnus Eze, Enugu
The Federal Government, yesterday, disclosed that Nigeria was on the verge of a scientific breakthrough that would usher in a home-grown cure for COVID-19.
This was as the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), one of the agencies under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, has by virtue of licensing of technology in the past five years, saved the nation the sum of N250 billion.
Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, made the disclosure in a virtual lecture he delivered to participants of Senior Executive Course 42 of the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos, Plateau State.
Onu said the spike in search for cure followed the pledge of N36 million the ministry announced as reward for any cure found for the pandemic by research institutes and individuals in the country. The minister had, on February 13, challenged Nigerian scientists to find a home-grown cure for the novel virus.
In his presentation, Onu stated that many research institutions and individuals have written to the ministry, claiming their research results and natural products could cure the disease. He noted that government has set up a committee, comprising fellows of the Nigerian Academy of Science, to review the claims. The certified claims will earn the reward of N36 million set aside for that purpose.
The minister said, as part of its efforts to curtail the pandemic, agencies in the ministry have been mobilised to start producing hand sanitisers, disinfectants, personal protective equipment (PPE), including high quality face masks, body immune boosters, vaccines, test kits, ventilators and telemedicine.
He also disclosed that the ministry was presently working to upgrade the molecular biology laboratories in Abuja, Odi in Bayelsa State and Ibadan, Oyo State, as part of its initiatives to tackle the global scourge.
NAFDAC says pandemic’ll give rise to indigenous pharmaceutical companies
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said the coronavirus pandemic will lead to the emergence of indigenous pharmaceutical companies in the country.
Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of the agency, said God had endowed Nigeria with abundant resources to turn the crisis into great opportunity by manufacturing raw materials for production of drugs.
“One thing that will come out of COVID-19 is that companies will start manufacturing pharmaceutical ingredients, even if it is one or two. Let us start something, instead of importing everything; let us invest in our country. I am very confident of that because God gave us brains. We go out of this country and most of us in diaspora become stars in different fields,” she said.
She regretted that Nigeria had consistently depended on what others were bringing to it, and emphasised the need to look inward for solutions to our concerns.
“COVID-19 has slapped us in the face. It has kicked us back and front. We are now facing the stark realities of being insecure. There is drug insecurity, medical devices insecurity, test kits insecurity; we have always depended on other nations for everything.
“India, for instance, is not supplying medicals to us again because they are thinking about their own people.
“We have been using dogonyaro (Neem tree) for ages. Some other African countries have developed their herbal remedies.
“Which one can we claim to have developed in Nigeria? What we are looking for in Madagascar, we may have it in our backyard,’’ she said.
Adeyeye stated that Nigeria had been a slave to China and India in terms of drug reliance, adding that the challenge posed by the pandemic would make the country to look inward.
According to her, it is time for Nigerians to make use of their talents by looking inward and coming up with something. She said the pandemic had created an opportunity for Nigerians to start making good use of their talents and attempt to create something of their own.
Adeyeye, therefore, called for a policy that would ban importation of drugs and compel Nigerians to look inward and start the development of home-made drugs.
“Madagascar has done it. They have looked inward and came up with herbs; Nigeria has over-relied on the Whites for everything. Some of us claim to love this country, but we do not. We have good weather, good environment, natural resources, but we are not making good use of them,” she said. “We must take the health sector serious by showing all sense of responsibility and we must work to stop importation of drugs,.’
The NAFDAC director-general also called for investment in research, stressing that, without it, Nigeria would not move forward in the quest to develop herbal medicine.
“Research is an important ingredient that can create confidentiality agreement between herbal practitioners and NAFDAC. Research is important to help us know the content of the herbal mixtures we even need to take.
“Before COVID-19, we had inaugurated Nigerian Herbal Medicine Product Committee, precisely in March 2019. We have wasted a lot of money and opportunity to develop our herbal medicine and cannot continue that way,” she said.
The director-general also called for mutual trust among herbal practitioners to facilitate inventions in the medical sector.
She said NAFDAC was working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to address drug insecurity in the country and had been meeting with stakeholders to achieve the feat: “We are working with the Central Bank of Nigeria to address drug insecurity in the country; that is part of our post-COVID-19 plan to revamp the heath sector.”
Adeyeye said the agency started work on the production of herbal medicine since March 2019. According to her, the agency met with the CBN governor two months ago to address challenges facing the sector.
She said, “The CBN governor has listened to some of the things that came from NAFDAC in terms of drug insecurity. He has said that it was high time for Nigeria to start looking inward.
“We have had series of meeting and NAFDAC is the go-between now. NAFDAC is the bridge between CBN and pharmaceutical manufacturing groups of Nigeria.
“We had a meeting last Saturday; so, part of what the government has realised is that the health sector has been neglected. We have realised that we have to take care of some aspects of the health sector.’’
The director-general said the Federal Government had responded by allocating N100 billon to qualified pharmaceutical companies for production of indigenous drugs.
Adeyeye emphasised that God had given Nigerians the best brains to transform the country in all the sectors of the economy, “All we need is to focus on the areas of priority. If government does not focus on education, instructing the university lecturers to prioritise research and development, we may not achieve drug security.
“Also, we need to address the issue of incessant strikes. I am not saying that some of the reasons for going on strike are not genuine, but that is not the way to solve our problems. I was a professor for 30 years, in the USA, where I worked. It is strange to be on strike. We take planning seriously, so that is the reason why if we want to get there, we have to change our ways.”
She added that Nigeria needs to change its ways and have good development policies, “China has a policy on family planning but here we don’t want to restrict the number of children we have; we keep talking about our grandchildren having so many children but they are all farmers.’’
According to Adeyeye, NAFDAC has received applications from people seeking to register their face mask production outfits, and it would treat the applications, to support local content.
“We are now testing them in the laboratory to see how safe and thick they are. The quality of the materials will determine if it is safe to stop your droplets from getting to somebody else; it is the thickness that matters. The quality of the material determines whether is safe or not,’’ she said.
The agency again warned Nigerians against taking Chloroquine as treatment for coronavirus (COVID-19).
“Nobody should buy Chloroquine and use. If you have COVID-19, go to a doctor. We have warned Nigerians and shall do that again. Do not take Chloroquine. The delay in approving some of the drugs for treatment of the virus is because of the clinical trials the agency is carrying out on them. So far, no group or individual has proffered any solution to the treatment or management of the pandemic.”
According to Adeyeye, the Chinese government carried out lots of trials on Chloroquine before it approved its use for treatment on some COVID-19 patients.
NCDC says ages 31 to 40 more susceptible to virus
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has said people within the 31 to 40 years age bracket are more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus in the country.
According to the centre, however, more deaths have been recorded among older people of 60 years and above.
In a report in Abuja yesterday, the NCDC said that data also showed that men were two times more likely to get the virus as shown in its latest demographic data on COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths by gender and age in the country.
“(People) between 31 and 40 years (of age) have the highest rate of confirmed cases. More males in that age category are confirmed cases but with lower mortality rate. Age 31-40: Male – 797 infected with seven deaths, female – 324 with four deaths but lower mortality compared to older persons,” it said.
The report said, in spite of this, older people die more due to several factors from co-morbidities. The data showed more deaths among 61 to 70-year-olds, though the lowest rate in confirmed cases.
“Ages 61 to 70: Male, 188 infected with three deaths, Female, 52 infected with four deaths. Age 70 plus: Male, 74 infected with 12 deaths, female, 33 infected with five deaths. Highest rate of mortality, comparable to global data.”
The report also showed a very high rate of mortality among ages 41 to 50 and 51 to 60: “Ages 41 to 50: Male, 570 infected with 15 deaths, Female, 206 infected with four deaths. Ages 51 to 60: Male, 364 infected with 27 deaths, Female, I48 infected with three deaths.”
Meanwhile, 11- to 20-year-olds were infected, with three deaths and under 10 also were infected at lower rates, with one death, which was also a male.