NAFDAC approves ABUAD herbal drug for COVID-19

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has approved a herbal drug developed by Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) for treatment of COVID-19.

The founder of the University, Afe Babalola who made this known on Tuesday, said the drug had been tested on 19 COVID-19 patients and have all recovered.

He said the number of those cured by the herbal drug has increased since its approval a few weeks ago by NAFDAC.

Babalola noted that the research department of the university over the years has made meaningful discoveries aimed at solving the socio-economic problems of the country.

Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Educationist, spoke on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital, at a ceremony commemorating the 12th anniversary of the establishment of ABUAD.

He said he conceived the idea of the institution in 2010 to contribute to the nation’s education development in the area of research, teaching and community service.

“I am happy that I conceived this university twelve years ago and since then, we have been going from strength to strength, making exploits in all our endeavors. Our vision is to make this place a great institution in the university education in the country in teaching, research and community service.

“I can confirm to you today that our herbal drug produced through extensive research by our team of researchers has healed about 19 patients who contracted covid-19 pandemic. They were healed perfectly less than five days of usage, that tells you the level of our research in ABUAD”, he said.

Babalola also spoke on the 2023 general elections. He said conducting the election with the present 1999 constitution would lead to the collapse of the nation.

He decried the series of challenges created by the 1999 constitution, and called on the national assembly to pass a resolution adopting the 1960 constitution before the 2023 polls in the interest of the country.

According to him, “We must avoid recycling the old failed leaders in the governance of this country. Any mistake in electing a new set of leaders under the present constitution will ruin Nigeria completely.

“The simple way out is for the National Assembly to pass a resolution adopting the 1960/1963 constitution with necessary amendments such as having in place six regions and one-house parliament.”

Babalola also decried the increasing proliferation of universities in Nigeria.

Describing these universities as “political universities”, he said the situation if not nipped in the bud by National University Commission (NUC) and the ministry of education, would have adverse effect on the nation’s education sector.

“The ministry of education and NUC should exercise their powers to checkmate this in the interest of quality education in the country because what these ambitious members of the national assembly have done amounts to usurpation and abuse of power.

“Every attempt must be made by all stakeholders to put a lid on the establishment of political universities that hardly survive those who put them in place after they are out of power otherwise, there will be a crash in the quality of private universities”, he said.

Babalola at the event invited President Muhammadu Buhari to visit the university and see the landmark achievements in the last twelve years which he said had been acknowledged by both local and international organisations, saying, “the president should find a way of replicating our universities in the different geo-political zones of the country.”