Lawmaker argues traditional healers should be regulated alongside modern pharmacists, says some ailments need “ancestral intervention”
When Senator Garba Maidoki rose to support a bill overhauling Nigeria’s food and drug laws, he had one unexpected amendment: don’t forget the native doctors.
The Kebbi South senator sent colleagues into laughter Tuesday when he argued that traditional medicine deserves official recognition in the proposed legislation—because sometimes, modern medicine just can’t compete with ancestors.
“Even some of us that are senators, sometimes we rely on herbal medicine for ailments which modern medicine has no answer for,” Maidoki declared during the debate. “Like if your ancestors decide to talk to you, you need a native doctor to intercede on your behalf.”
The chamber erupted in amusement, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio couldn’t resist a playful response: “The native doctor will intercede between you and the ancestor.”
The Bigger Picture
The bill, sponsored by Senator Sadiq Umar (Kwara North), aims to repeal two existing food and drug laws and create a unified regulatory framework covering food, medicines, vaccines, and medical devices. It passed its second reading with broad support.
But Maidoki warned that the legislation’s “modernised” approach overlooks a critical reality: most rural Nigerians still rely on traditional healers as their primary healthcare providers.
“I think if this is done, the pharmacist Senator Suleiman will be able to incorporate these people and make this holistic,” he said, urging the bill’s sponsor—a trained pharmacist—to integrate indigenous practitioners into the national healthcare system.
Not Just Rural Folklore
The senator pushed back against any dismissal of traditional medicine, noting that even urban elites quietly consult native doctors when conventional treatments fail.
“Most of our rural dwellers rely mostly on this traditional medicine,” he emphasised, stressing that any comprehensive healthcare reform must acknowledge what millions of Nigerians actually practice.
Akpabio, reflecting on the broader context, observed: “It’s actually baffling that this was part of the African religion, but when the white people came, they now told us that we don’t need our ancestors. But I think from what you are saying, you are still using your ancestors.”
What’s Next
The bill now moves to committee review, where lawmakers must decide whether Nigeria’s new drug regulatory framework will officially recognise traditional medicine or leave it in the regulatory shadows where it has operated for decades.
For Maidoki, the choice is clear: “The pharmacist Senator Suleiman will be able to incorporate these people and make this holistic.”
His ancestors, it seems, have already given their verdict.
