by Akinlolu Olaolu
https://www.digital.zenithbank.com/ZEQ/ZEQ-jan-2026/index.html#p=1It’s no more news that there has been a lot of permutations and various controversies about the whereabout of the invited Chinese Medics that came into the country on 5th of April 2020. Interesting story, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, was part of the contingent that welcomed them into the country. We all know that before the arrival of these Chinese nationals, there were a lot of rebuff by the Nigerian Medical Association and other groups.
Equally, the precluding order on international flight across the Nigerian and many countries of the world did not deter Nigerian leaders and their collaborators from getting them into the country. It did not stop there; the Nigerian government had reportedly ordered the purchase and importation of the recently discovered Madagascar COVID-19 cure, also referred to as “Covid organic”
On Thursday, May 14 2020, Dr Osagie Ehanire in a press conference at the Presidential Taskforce headquarter in Abuja repudiated the agitation of Nigerians and particularly the strongest opposition party Peoples Democratic Party,by saying, “the medical personnel are not the guests of the Federal Government but China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), a Chinese construction company in Nigeria.” In addition, “the primary objective to supply and install the equipment they brought and also share medical experimental strategy about how China was able to curtail the virus and also to aid Nigeria to contain the spread of the virus.
The Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjiam, while welcoming the 15-man Chinese medical team according to the April 9th publication by Afriannews.com, also disclosed that the medics had come to Nigeria in order to supply medial equipment worth $1.5million, while the journey was on a chattered flight that cost $2million on the bill of CCECC. Zhou emphasized that the team is only concerned with installation of equipment and not in any case responsible for the treatment. Pingjiam added that upon arrival, the Chinese medical team duly underwent the 14 days isolation in Idu Area of Abuja where they were accommodated, in other to assure their safety health status before letting them to execute the project.
With adequate coverage of the activities of the Chinese, the Minister for Health cleared the air that, “the medics are done with their project here in Nigeria and are back to there residence in Idu, Abuja, while they await the next available commercial plane to airlift them to Beijing, China.
It should be mention that, days after the Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde declared the state partnership with all herbal and medical specialists across the state to work in hands to provide a cure to the virus, various academia in the University of Ibadan claimed to have found a relieve medication to the virus, the university through a twitter post on May 1 announce ”UI scientists Recommend Euphorbia Hirta Linn for relief.” Asides that of the University of Ibadan, Professor Maurice Iwu, the former Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, also discovered a drug which he went with to the Minister of Health. All these and more did not attract the Federal Government to validate the clinical efficacy of these announcements but our mind raced again to the Madagascar, our fellow African nation that is proudly promoting what they have discovered.
Surprisingly, due to high-rise in daily reports of the pandemic in Nigeria, President Muhamadu Buhari had reportedly ordered the purchase and importation of the Madagascar “Covid Organic”, while neglecting several proposals by remarkable plant scientists and herbal specialists arose the country by enthusiastic medial practitioners. On contrary opinion, the Nigerian Medical Association had described the move as an embarrassment to the hard working the NMA at the forefront of combatting the pandemic.
There is a fundamental lesson that we have failed to learn from the Pandemic, in simple day-to-day parlance- it is a call to look inward. Our health system, our educational system, our social security system needs to be enhanced. Our self-sufficiency, self-sustaining and self-advancing ideas should be put to action now because we cannot continue to spend our hard-earned forex on products available internally. The country that eventually succeeds in producing the efficacious drug for Coronavirus will be globally reckoned with, nothing is stopping Nigeria for birthing this global solution.
