EXTRA: Traditional cure for COVID-19 to be ready soon, says ooni

Adeyeye Ogunwusi, ooni of Ife, says his proposed traditional cure for the coronavirus pandemic has reached an advanced stage and would be made public soon.

This is despite warning by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that people should steer clear of unscientific claims suggesting cure for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus, as search for a vaccine continues.

According to NAN, the ooni spoke on Wednesday in Abeokuta, shortly after he presented two motorised modular fumigators to the Ogun state government to help combat the virus.

The traditional ruler said that he had gone far in working with traditional medicine practitioners in the country to ensure a cure for the ravaging COVID-19.

According to him, though scientific solutions are being sought globally, traditional medicine must also be considered and embraced as a way to tackle the pandemic.

He also called on the federal government to emulate Madagascar in its quest to use local herbs in combating the killer disease, adding that such medicines have potency to heal victims.

“We are going to proffer the local cure for coronavirus very soon; I have gone very far in advanced stage with the traditional medicine practitioners in Nigeria,” he said.

“Before this pandemic came out, I had actually announced to the entire world what we inherited from our ancestors. We came out very clear about the cure; the immune booster and the solution to a large extent is presented to us and we did what we are supposed to do, but the people probably didn’t hear us.

“I am very happy that the same thing that we are talking about in Nigeria, Madagascar has taken it upon themselves and even the U.S government, they have even reached out to them for funding.”

In his reaction, Dapo Abiodun, the state governor, commended the ooni for his donation and assured him that the fumigators would be put to good use.

In March, the monarch had provoked argument among Nigerians when he claimed that natural herbs like onions, African pepper and neem tree among others can be used to treat COVID-19.