The minister of health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has said Madagascar’s COVID Organic, a drug being touted as the cure for the coronavirus [Covid-19] disease, would not be applied on Nigerians until it is certified fit for safe for consumption.

The minister said this during a PTF press briefing at the Federal Capital Territory on Monday.

He said the Federal Government would send the COVID-19 cure for analyses and comparison with the Nigerian strain to identify similarities, differences, as well as how it works.

Madagascar was reported on Monday to have offered African countries its COVID-19 cure.

WuzupNigeria reports that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had directed the airlifting of COVID Organic to Nigeria.

According to the report, the consignments for Nigeria were sent Guinea Bissau, from where they will be brought to the country.

Speaking on the herbal cure, the minister said,

“With regard to the cure from Madagascar, it is making the news and we have promised of being able to get samples of the botanical products. We will be speaking with the health experts and the scientific community on how to use it. We will also give it to the research community here to examine and see what they can do with it. We understand that it is something called artemisia annua which also grows here.

“But we will like to, if we get that sample, compare it with the strain here whether they are identical and see what properties it has. Things like that are subjected to analyses to see what works there and how it works.

“Obviously all countries in the world are interested in finding a cure and we are not different. So we will look at all possibilities and all options. But before we give it to our people, we will make sure that it is actually safe and it actually works.”

However, the World Health Organisation [WHO] had said it had not approved the use of the drug. The WHO’s stance had prompted the president of the Indian ocean country to lambaste the organisation saying:

“If it were a European country which had discovered this remedy, would there be so many doubts?,’’

He added,

“The problem is that it comes from Africa. And they cannot accept that a country like Madagascar, which is one of the poorest countries in the world, has discovered this formula to save the world.”