Lagos — With appropriate support and enabling policy from the Federal Government, herbal medicine business can generate a lot of revenue annually for Nigeria, a herbal medical practiotioner, Reverend Father Anselm Adodo, has said.

Speaking with Business Trust in an interview in Ewu, Edo State last weekend, Fr. Adodo said unlike oil business which limits wealth circulation to the privileged elite and multinationals, the herbal business is one of the most effective instruments of wealth distribution in the country, and it can fetch the country as much as oil could, if the right thing is done in on the sector.

According to the cleric cum medical practitioner, the global income from the herbal medicine business is estimated at $70 billion yearly, lamenting however that " Africa, which has over 70 % of the world reserve of medicinal plants growing on her soil has little or no share in the income."

His words: "It is sad that our government has not been looking the way of herbal medicine to generate wealth for the country. I tell you that unlike the oil business which limits wealth circulation to the privileged elite and multinational corporations, the herbal business is one of the most effective instruments of wealth distribution in Afrca. Nigeria alone can generate as much as 5bilion dollars annually from the herbal medicine business. But without appropriate support and enabling policy from government, this will not be possible."