Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has called for collaboration between his government and traditional medicine practitioners to eradicate ritual killings.
The governor said this Tuesday while speaking at a day-long workshop on a campaign against ritual killings and quackery to promote a healthy practice of alternative medicine for the safety of all.
The event was organized by the Ogun State Board of Alternative Medicine in conjunction with the Nigerian Police Force, Ogun State Command, which was held in Abeokuta.
Condemning the nefarious activities of the ritual killers and the negative image they have been given, particularly in Ogun State, the governor said everyone must get to work to expose those involved in the nefarious act and put an end to it. to the threat.
He said: “Please work with us to expose those among you who are ruining your name and your good work. Disconnect from the ritual killings and continue to be an Omoluabi.”
He praised the professionals for contributing to the health needs of the people, particularly those in rural communities, and assured that his administration would work with relevant stakeholders to ensure they get the proper training for effective health care services.
He said that traditional medicine has been around for a long time and had been useful to people in the past, stressing the need for practitioners to adopt a scientific method to produce their products, adding that it was imperative that relevant government agencies test its products and certify them as good for human consumption.
According to the Governor, “It is time to make African medicine worthwhile through scientific research and best practices. This would make drugs compete favorably on the world stage and improve people’s health.”
He praised the practitioners for their enthusiasm to learn and improve, assuring that they would be allocated land for the construction of their office, while the government would make a bus available to facilitate movement.
In his remarks, Health Commissioner Dr. Tomi Coker said the current administration in the state would continue to play its role in ensuring that alternative medicine is regulated to ensure the safety of the citizens of the state.
Coker, who further noted that the issue of ritual killings was taking on a dangerous dimension in the state, revealed that the state government has so far registered more than 1,000 traditional midwives, and called on the
alternative medicine purveyors to be state ambassadors waging war against ritual killings and fishing for charlatans among them.
In his welcome speech, Ogun State Alternative Medicine Board Chairman Nurudeen Olaleye said the board under his supervision had been able to monitor the activities of practitioners in the state.
Olaleye also noted that the Board’s findings showed that those who were involved in illegal activities in the state were not registered practitioners, stressing that the monitoring team would continue to embark on monitoring exercises to curb the activities of quacks in the profession.
Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Bankole, represented by Deputy Police Commissioner Mr. Babatunde Sodimu, charged practitioners to document their process and carry out further research to improve their practice.
Bankole, while noting that practitioners should also encourage and sponsor bills that would help develop their practice, said the state police command recognized their importance and stood ready to support them at all times.