By Steve Oni, Ilorin
Kwara State House of Assembly has urged the National Broadcasting Commission to be alive to its statutory responsibility of regulating advertisements on traditional medicines on Broadcast Stations to save the people from the adverse effects of alternative medicine in the state.
This is part of the Resolutions of the House, following a Motion on ” Need for Government to Regulate Advertisement, Sale and Practice of Traditional Medicine in Kwara State ” raised by member representing Ilorin Central Constituency, Hon Abubakar Olawoyin Mogaji.
Reading the Resolutions of the House, the Speaker, Engr. Yakubu Danladi Salihu, explained that though traditional medicine had its benefits and disadvantages, the collapse of the health sector, poverty and ignorance increase patronage.
The House also urged the Governor to direct the State Ministry of Health to designate a centre or camp for traditional medicine practitioners to practise in the state to enable government monitor their activities, while charging its Committee on Health and Environment to liaise with the State Ministry of Health to live up to expectation in regulating drugs and medicine in the state to safeguard lives of the citizens.
It also called on the Association of Traditional Medical Practitioners to call their members who engage in mobile advertisements thereby constituting nuisance in the society to order.
Hon Magaji had while raising the Motion explained that though Alternative Medicine had come to stay in Nigeria, he expressed concern over lack of standard dosage in the administration of drugs produced by the practitioners which according to him had complicated health issues of many people who patronise them.
Other members who spoke on the issue, identified non enforcement of the existing laws to regulate its practices, exaggeration of the potency of the drugs, inaccessibility to quality healthcare delivery, high cost of orthodox drugs as factors that boost the popularity of traditional medicines.
Some of the members who spoke on the Motion were members representing Share/Oke – Ode, Okuta/Yashikira, Kaiama/Kemanji/Wajibe, Ilorin East, Irepodun, Afon, Isin, Ojomu/Balogun, Oke-Ero, Omupo, Malete/Oloru/Ipaiye and Owode/Onire Constituencies, Hons. Rasaq Owolabi, Mohammed Baba Salihu, Haliru Abdullahi Danbaba, Jimoh Aliyu Yusuf, Felix Awodiji, Abdul Wahab Opakunle, Olumide Awolola, Saheed Popoola, Raphael Adetiba – Olanrewaju, Abdulkareem Paku, Abdul-Ganiyu Salau and Ibrahim Ambali respectively.
Meanwhile, the State House of Assembly has praised President Mohammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress for appointing two Ministerial nominees from the state, following a Personal Explanation by the House Leader Hon Abubakar Olawoyin Mogaji at the floor of the House.
The Speaker described the appointments as demonstration that the next level mantra was now at the door step of the people of the state.
Leave a Reply