The Director-General of the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), Prof. Martins Emeje, has expressed the agency’s readiness to transform Nigeria into a major exporter of natural medicines within one year. This, he said, is contingent on the agency being equipped with an additional 15,000 staff, to be deployed in groups of 20 to each Local Government Area (LGA), thereby boosting its production capacity for optimal service delivery.
The DG assured the government and the Nigerian public of NNMDA’s eagerness to drive significant development through the advancement of natural medicine practice to a standard comparable to that of countries such as India, China, and Japan—if granted the necessary human and financial resources.
Emeje gave this assurance during a recent working visit by the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Compliance, Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed-Badau, and his entourage, to the agency’s headquarters in Lagos.
The natural medicine expert, who warmly received the delegation, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for its support, presenting pictorial evidence of projects and outreach programmes implemented with funds allocated to the agency.
“I need at least 15,000 additional staff to turn this country around—and no one will need to rely on oil revenue. If this is granted, within 12 months, Nigeria will become a net exporter of medicinal plants and natural medicines—in raw, processed, standardised, and finished medical product forms,” Emeje said.
He further asserted: “This development will ensure that people enjoy 100 per cent access to medicines and universal health coverage, using our own natural remedies.”
The professor of drug delivery and nanomedicine passionately highlighted the potential of natural medicine, explaining that NNMDA’s focus extends beyond plant-based products to include therapeutic livestock management. He revealed the agency’s readiness to collaborate with the Ministry of Livestock in promoting locally made animal-based medicinal products.
Earlier, Emeje had expressed delight at the committee’s visit, which he described as an opportunity for them to gain firsthand insight into the agency’s achievements since he assumed office.
“We are excited and feel deeply fulfilled to have the chairman of the House Committee on Legislative Compliance with us today. With this visit, Nigerians are finally on the path to liberation from colonial dependency and the overreliance on imported medicines—products based on other nations’ indigenous knowledge and innovation, while ours remains untapped,” he said.
He added: “The committee’s presence here indicates that the House resolution is taking effect. The next step is to breathe life into that resolution—by providing the two key supports we have requested: financial and human resources.”
In his response, Alhaji Ahmed-Badau expressed satisfaction with the agency’s achievements and acknowledged its potential as a major source of foreign exchange if properly supported. He voiced strong support for the DG’s proposals and promised to present them to the House for approval and implementation.
Speaking to journalists after touring the facility, Ahmed-Badau said: “I am highly impressed and delighted with what I’ve seen here, and I hope to support this great institution further.
“My vision is for the agency to have an office and hospital in every ward and local government area in Nigeria, providing job opportunities for our teeming youth population and affordable treatments for tropical diseases. This would also make essential medicines more accessible and affordable for all Nigerians.”
Ahmed-Badau further stressed the economic potential of expanding the agency’s reach to every state and LGA, to harness local medicinal plants and transform them into standardised herbal remedies. He argued that this would significantly lower drug costs and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported pharmaceuticals.
The high point of the event was the decoration of Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed-Badau as a Natural Medicine Ambassador, and the presentation of the Best Intern Award to Pharm. Barakat Murtala, in recognition of her exceptional performance in the agency’s pharmaceutical division.
, Prof. Martins Emeje, has expressed the agency’s readiness){kind=link}