I commend the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, not only for finding time to visit and pay tribute to nonagenarian Pa Giwa, but also for what he has done to boost his herbal practice and personal welfare. Gestures which give hope that President Muhammadu Buhari’s Federal Government is out to promote herbal medicine to world-wide recognition and another major source of foreign exchange earner for the country. As the Chinese have attained global – fame for their practice of acupuncture medicine.
As a result of the old man’s accomplishments in curing many a people of prostate cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, sexually transmitted diseases and other ailments, the Minister said the Federal Government through the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development has decided to assist Pa Giwa in producing and marketing his medicines for use in the country and exportation to other nations in Africa, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.
Dr. Onu also disclosed that the Ministry of Science and Technology is also to expand the iconic herbalist’s clinic by building him a four-bedroom bungalow flat to enable him accommodate more patients. In addition, the ministry is to provide him with a vehicle to enhance his mobility.
This is the first time I will hear or read that any administration in the country, be it federal or a state government, will come out to recognize the achievement of a herbal doctor and offer to assist him or her. It is therefore a thing of joy that the Buhari administration has blazed the trail and I hope that it will take steps to enhance herbal medicine in general in the country. I also hope that the state governments too will do this with worthy herbalists in their areas of jurisdiction.
From the requests I received from readers for the telephone number of Dr. (Mrs.) Folarin, it is clear that the dual prostate diseases of enlargement and cancer, diabetes, stroke, malaria and typhoid, all of which can result in death if not properly and promptly managed or treated, are serious problems with Nigerians. Not only with people in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja and the 36 states in the country but also with compatriots living abroad.
In the three articles published in the series, before this one, I received telephone calls or text messages for Mrs. Folarin’s number from a total of 378 readers, ten of them from abroad. Two came from Ghana, three from the United Kingdom and five from the United States. From Ghana I received text messages from Mrs. Alao and Mrs. Oladele while from the United Kingdom I got phone calls from Mr. John, Mr. Jimmy Akinduro and a text message from Mr. Ayo Lateef.
From the United States calls came from Mr. Samson Adeboye in Washington D.C (District of Columbia), Mr. Tunde Samuel in San Francisco area of California, Mr. Umariosa Owah who was then in New York on a visit and Mr. Ibe in Houston, Texas, while I received a text message from Mr. Godwin Kwushue in Inglewood in California. They reached out to me because of their relatives and friends in Nigeria and the countries where they reside, who have one of the illnesses Mrs. Folarin treats. One of them even said he wanted to get in touch to buy her drugs not only for Nigerians in the U.S but also some of his white friends. I have held back their telephone numbers so that people in Nigeria and other African countries will not bother them for financial assistance.
I have had to give the total figure of 378 of those who phoned or sent text messages for Mrs. Folarin’s number, and the names and countries of abode of those abroad for one reason. And this is to show how serious the killer-diseases are and to get the state governments join the federal government in assisting herbal doctors in their domains to market their medicines at home and abroad.
To be continued next week Wednesday
Phenomenal Dr. Kolade, the best boss I ever had (2)
By Sir Amos Ofoneme
Dr. Christopher Kolade’s success during his five-year tenure as the Director- General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation/Television Service (NBC/TV) from 1973 – 78, was largely the result of his following to the letter his nine-point blueprint listed out in last week’s article. One of the things he introduced not only in the NBC/TV but also in the broadcast industry in Nigeria in general, was the cultural night held every last Saturday of the month. During which artistes such as cultural dancers and others from the major and minority ethnic groups in the country were on display, watched by traditional rulers from the states in the South and North.
Another innovation of the Kolade administration was the periodical meeting the Director – General had with the heads of the corporation’s offices in the capitals of the 12 states in the country at the time. This led to an unprecedented improvement in corporation’s performance and revenue generation and fostered closer ties between the D-G and the managers and among the officers themselves, which would have not been the case if our boss had not provided such a forum for them to meet and fraternize.
But what I considered as the greatest achievement of Dr. Kolade and his major legacy was the restructuring of the Administrative Management Cadre in which he divided the management of the corporation into four categories and created the position of Deputy Director – General (DDG) to head each. Before this innovation the next officers to the DG were the Directors. But in the new scheme, the corporation now had DDG Finance and Administration, DDG Technical Services, DDG Programmes and DDG State and Management Services. These changes led to better running of the corporation and good results.
Dr. Kolade is also remembered as the most fair-minded, humane and dynamic D-G. He it was who instituted a Promotion Panel/Board which met every month to look into the elevation of qualified staff to appropriate positions. And with this he ended the frustration many a staff had experienced under his predecessors with some people never getting promoted for ten to twenty years or had to act for five years before being elevated or not at all. It was that horrible.
Continues next week