Mr. Awogbemiga Fasina Bogunmbe, the Oba Iwa Ifa of Oyo State and President, Indigenous Faith of Africa (Agbala Ifa Temple), on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to embrace local herbs in combating COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Babaawo Bogunmbe, who made this call in an interview with The NEXT EDITION in Ibadan, also called for proper use of local herbs in tackling the pandemic, noting that an outbreak of pandemic such as COVID-19 was not new in human history.
He said Nigeria should emulate Madagascar by making use of local herbs to complement medical sciences in the treatment of COVID-19 and prevention of its spread.
According to him, “Our forefathers had in the past used local herbs and traditional religion to tackle pandemics such as ‘Gaga’, ‘Felele’, ‘Lukuluku’, ‘Ayohere’ and ‘Kooli’. This ongoing pandemic will soon be a thing of the past.
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“Symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to those of ‘Olode’ caused by ‘Obaluaye’. So, our government and traditional rulers should embrace traditional religion in tackling COVID-19 pandemic.
“We should not forget to commend chief priests in different Yoruba towns and cities over their efforts.”
Bogunmbe appealed to Nigerians to comply with the directives on preventive measures put in place by the Federal Government, urging all citizens to join hands in combating the virus.
