The Senate on Tuesday witnessed a spirited debate over the future of indigenous healthcare as lawmakers considered a major overhaul of Nigeria’s food and drug regulatory system.
Senator Garba Maidoki (APC, Kebbi South) spearheaded the call to integrate traditional medicine into a proposed legal framework aimed at reforming how the country regulates food, drugs, and medical devices.
The proposal emerged during deliberations on a bill to repeal the Food, Drug and Related Products (Registration, Etc.) Act and the Food and Drug Act. The new legislation, sponsored by Senator Sadiq Umar (APC, Kwara North), seeks to establish a consolidated regulatory framework for vaccines, medical devices, and public health products.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Maidoki described the bill as a necessary step toward modernization but warned that excluding traditional medicine would ignore the reality of healthcare for millions of Nigerians.
“I rise to support this bill. It is apt, timely, and intended to modernize the regulation of food and drugs in Nigeria,” Maidoki stated. “However, I have not seen any provision concerning traditional medicine. Most of our rural dwellers rely heavily on traditional practitioners, and it is time we enacted laws that recognize and support its practice.”
Maidoki argued that providing legal backing to indigenous medicine would reduce Nigeria’s heavy reliance on expensive imported pharmaceuticals. He urged the bill’s sponsor—a pharmacist by profession—to find a way to integrate traditional healers into the formal healthcare value chain.
“If this is done, we will reduce the cost of importing drugs and rely more on our indigenous herbs and medications prepared by our native doctors,” he added.
The debate took a lighthearted turn when Maidoki suggested that some health conditions respond better to herbal remedies than conventional medicine, noting that even high-ranking officials seek traditional cures when orthodox treatments fail.
“Even some of us who are senators sometimes go for herbal medicine when modern medicine has no answer,” Maidoki remarked. “Like when your ancestors decide to talk to you, you need a native doctor to intercede on your behalf.”
The comment triggered loud laughter across the chamber. Responding in kind, Senate President Godswill Akpabio quipped: “Thank you, Distinguished Senator Garba. The native doctor will intercede between you and the ancestor.”
Akpabio noted that while Western influence had marginalized traditional beliefs, many Nigerians still maintain a connection to ancestral practices.
“It’s actually baffling that this was part of the African religion, but when the white people came, they told us that we don’t need our ancestors. But from what you are saying, you are still using your ancestors,” Akpabio remarked.
Following the debate, the bill successfully scaled its second reading. The proposed legislation now moves to the committee stage for further legislative input. If enacted, it will consolidate Nigeria’s fragmented food and drug laws into a single, comprehensive regulatory body, with the possibility of amendments to include the traditional medicine frameworks proposed during the session.
