By Lucky Isibor
The Chairman of Edo State Traditional Medicine Board, High Chief Abudu Ugbesia has admonished traditional medicine practitioners in the state to ensure that their traditional medicines are manufactured in accordance with laid down procedures in traditional medical practices and avoid adulterating them with banned and regulated synthetic drugs, warning that anyone caught in the act will face the full weight of the law.
Chief Ugbesia gave the admonishion on Wednesday, July 9 while addressing a cross section of traditional medicine practitioners at a stakeholders engagement to enlighten practitioners in Oredo Local Government Area them on ethical practices at Urhokpota Hall in Benin City.
The Chairman of the Traditional Medicine Board urged them to refrain from unethical practices such as human sacrifices, administering of oaths to human trafficking syndicates and adulteration of traditional medicines originally prepared with roots and herds with banned and regulated synthetic drugs such as codeine, trimadol noting that his office has been inundated with complaints of unethical practices by some manufacturers of local herbs known in street parlance as ‘Agbo’.
While calling for the cooperation of traditional medicine practitioners in the state government’s commitment to sanitise the health delivery sub-sector, Ugbesia said,
“The Edo State Traditional Medicine Board was established to promote the safe, ethical, and scientifically sound practice of traditional medicine in line with both indigenous wisdom and regulatory frameworks. As we approach the 40th Anniversary of the Board and prepare for the African Traditional Medicine Day 2025, we are engaging in meaningful dialogue with stakeholders across the state, and no engagement is more significant than this”.
Ugbesia who pointed out that he is a traditional medicine practitioner himself commended Governor Monday Okpebholo for creating an enabling environment for traditional medicine practitioners to operate, tasked practitioners to be up and doing, up the ante in traditional medical practice and research on how to genuinely use traditional medicine in curing new and emerging diseases such as diphtheria and other diseases which outbreak the state is witnessing now.
While tasking traditional birth attendants on the imperatives of operating in a clean and safe environment, Ugbesia urged them to promptly refer any delivery that is getting beyond them to orthodox medical practitioners, adding that the board will soon organise seminars for them to enable them understand when referrals are need while taking delivery.
Speaking with newsmen after the stakeholders engagement, Ugbesia outlined the aim of the interactive session, adding that the exercise will be replicated in the other local government areas of the state.
“This stakeholders meeting which comprises of all traditional medicine practitioners is to sensitise and tell the public that we traditional medicine practitioners are not ritualists, we treat and God heals and creating awareness among the traditional medicine practitioners that we don’t want what is happening in other states where we hear traditional medicine practitioners are using human skulls for sacrifices and performing human sacrifice should not be practised here in Edo State. This is Edo State, we are law abiding people and if there is any one caught doing so, such a person will be decisively dealt with in accordance with the laws.
“We have given them the conducive environment to practice, whatever they can do to assist anyone they should do.
“We have warned those practicing without proper registration and certificate of regnition by the government that drastic actions shall be taken against them as the punishment is two years in prison or two million naira fine, when found guilty by the courts. We shall soon start to arraign such persons practicing without certificates in mobile courts.
“We’ve also told them that we must contribute revenue for the state by paying our taxes and appropriate registration fees to the state government. You know the Governor is working, constructing roads, flyovers and planning to give people pipe borne water, so we need to pay our taxes and approved levies to government.”
Also speaking, a member of the Traditional Medicine Board, Princess Helen Asekhamen pointed out that, “We have told the traditional medicine practitioners to assist the people they can assist while they refer those above them.”
In their various responses, some of the traditional medicine practitioners appealed to Edo State government to reduce the cost of registration, noting that this is what is hindering most of them from registering.