₦airaland Forum

On World Polio Day 2025, we stand together to celebrate Africa’s progress towards a continent free of polio, and renew our collective commitment to protecting every child from this preventable disease.

This year’s theme, End Polio: Every Child, Every Vaccine, Everywhere, is a call to ensure that no child, in any setting, is left unprotected

Polio has no cure; but it can be prevented.
Vaccination is our strongest weapon to ensure no child suffers paralysis or death from this disease.

Nigeria may be wild polio–free, but vaccine-derived strains still threaten our children. Every missed dose leaves a child at risk.

Vaccinate on time.
Support community immunization efforts.
Spread awareness (find more on polio in the images provided below)

Every child deserves to run, play, and dream without fear of polio. Together, we can end polio for good.

#WorldPolioDay
#EndPolio #EveryChildEveryVaccineEverywhere #VaccinesWork

Badtman:
Thank You OP …I’m currently facing second phase of my femur fracture after 9year of bone graft ..Alc and Smoking effects is the main reason am facing the challenges again but I won’t touch it again forever …Let’s live life without intoxication ✌️

Can I repost on my social media account??

bikefab:
This is actually the very first time I'm hearing about this

BarrElChapo:
Nice one OP. Quite informative.

SEGLIZ:
not even a definition of the topic you are treating.

MaziObinnaokija:
Those ones selling gbogbonise 6 N 1 mixtures that cure HBP,headache, fibroid, toothache, blurred vision,diabetes, cough ..Them plenty around idumota,sango,Iyana ipaja,Agege,Alaba etc.
Mat dey not destroy our kidney sha with their mixtures.

Them plenty on FBK too

OlujobaSamuel:
77keys is NAFDAC certified na and it's a herbal medicine.
Btw, I thought those Yemkem and Oko oloyun products are also classified as medicines and certified, or are they under supplements??
Someone should pls explain

immortalcrown:
Thus, it is not to be trusted when health is the concern.

immortalcrown:
1.
Herbal stuffs are natural and good but some of them are too harsh for human internal organs. The makers do not lab equipment for proper dilution of the herbs.

2.
NAFDAC has lost my trust. Some products that have NAFDAC number are unhealthy while so many things that don't have NAFDAC number are healthy.

In a country where herbal medicine has been part of our culture for centuries, many Nigerians still wonder: “Why won’t NAFDAC give full approval to our locally made herbal products?”

Well, here’s the truth — straight from the agency itself.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said herbal medicines cannot receive full approval until they pass through proper clinical trials — the same rigorous process required for modern pharmaceutical drugs.

According to a statement by NAFDAC’s Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, the agency is working hand-in-hand with the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) to develop herbal medicines that are scientifically proven, safe, and effective enough to meet global health standards.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director General of NAFDAC, emphasized that Nigerian herbal practitioners have the knowledge and creativity to create world-class remedies — but safety and science must come first.

“If you have an herbal medicine that you cannot prove scientifically — the extent to which it works without causing harm — then it cannot be fully registered by NAFDAC,” she explained.

Two Levels of Approval

Prof. Adeyeye broke it down clearly:

✅ First level: A two-year listing approval — given after toxicology and safety evaluations. This only confirms that the product isn’t harmful, not necessarily that it works.

✅ Second level: A full five-year approval — which requires clinical trials to prove efficacy (that is, scientific evidence that the medicine actually works).

Thousands of herbal medicines in Nigeria have been “listed,” but only a handful have completed clinical trials.

Why? Cost.
Clinical trials are extremely expensive, requiring strict testing procedures, medical oversight, and validated data to prove that a product is both safe and effective.

“Natural” Doesn’t Always Mean “Safe”

Prof. Adeyeye also issued an important warning many people overlook:

“The fact that it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s safe. That’s where NAFDAC’s regulation and control come in.”

She explained that some natural products can cause serious harm to the liver and kidneys if not properly dosed or formulated. Determining the right dosage, possible side effects, and long-term risks is why scientific studies are non-negotiable.

Collaboration and the Road Ahead

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, NAFDAC established a Herbal Medicine Products Committee to bridge the gap between researchers, herbal practitioners, and the Federal Ministry of Health.

The agency is also seeking funding support to help local herbal developers run clinical trials — starting with some already-listed products that show strong potential.

The goal is to one day have a National Herbal Medicine Formulary — a verified catalog of trusted, clinically tested herbal medicines that can be prescribed safely and confidently, even in hospitals.

Meanwhile, NAFDAC continues to train and educate herbal practitioners on:

proper registration procedures,

good manufacturing practices (GMP), and

standardization to ensure consistent quality and safety.

The Bigger Picture

NAFDAC’s stance might frustrate some herbal practitioners, but it’s also a reminder of what’s at stake.
Without proper trials, even the most promising herbal remedy remains just a claim — not a cure.

Science and tradition don’t have to be enemies; they can be allies.
Nigeria’s rich herbal heritage deserves to be recognized, but it must also be trusted — and that trust can only come through evidence.

If done right, our local herbs could someday compete globally, just like China’s Traditional Medicine now stands shoulder to shoulder with Western pharmaceuticals.

Until then, regulation, patience, and collaboration remain the keys.

What’s your take?
Do you think NAFDAC is being too strict — or are they right to insist on scientific proof before full approval?
Have you or someone you know used herbal medicine that really worked? Let’s talk about it

Kingpele:
Many people in this country have mental health issues ranging from our politicians that steal public funds and buy properties abroad, to civil servants that forge their credentials, to market people that cheat customers ,to drivers that failed to adhere to safety rules etc ...so if u look well we have many that have mental health problems

Godmind2022:
What can you do in a world that only recognizes physical health problem as the only problem?
What can you do when you don't have money to fix your mental health?
What can you do when friends call you lazy because you are struggling mentally and you could not hold down a job or even take a new job?
What can you do when people closest to you do not understand your struggles but you can only pray and wish that one day, a miracle will come from the sky?

The only thing you can do is to pray that the miracle comes and if it doesn't, pray that the father takes you home. Whichever one comes you will be fine. It is well.

femi4:
All these kangaroo stat of "one in every " without evidence of population samples

Jovi10:
Exercise regularly. Your body will thank you for it. If you can't afford a gym, walk at least 5000 to 10,000 steps daily.

Obinoscopy:
ChatGPT summarized version:



An even more condensed version:

🇳🇬👏 Nigeria keeps its WHO Maturity Level 3 status for regulating medicines & vaccines — the only African country to achieve this!
✅ Stronger drug safety
✅ Global recognition
Next stop: Maturity Level 4 🚀
#NAFDAC #WHO #NigeriaHealth

MrSly:
Nigeria retains and not attains. So it is clear that nigeria has been there before this administration. Of recent the unproductive govt of tinubu is manipulating narratives to garner some accolades, hence the need for that clarification I made.

foolbuster:
You actually think before the WHO there was no documentation of human illnesses?

foolbuster:
Nonsense.
All I know is since the advent of the WHO humans have been getting sicker, more infertile and dying earlier.

Emmizofficial:
Hello nairalanders I'm sorry if I deviated from the above topic discussed but I need a quick one for someone that is planning to undergo an eye cataract surgery. Please I want to know which is best advisable. The laser surgery or the manual surgery? I will appreciate advices.

NSK4U:
Please how does this post help? Are you out to test and treat people having hepatitis because as you rightly said, many factors such as cost of treatment, etc contribute to the spread and severe consequences to the infected persons?

Namecantbeblank:
I'm suffering with hepatitis B, from the tests that I did in the lab it's said to be chronic but so far so good, I'm doing fine.

I don't know if there's any other drug(s) that I can take that will completely get rid of it.. so far, I'm just on livolin and tenofovir.

I've been seeing this on Facebook, I don't know how effective it's.

oluwaseyi0:
You should have itemized how it can be contracted and what to avoid