Exit of a natural medicine pioneer

The news of the death of Oluyemisi Akinadewo caught practitioners et al unaware. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA and WALE ADEPOJU report what they say about the pioneer Director-General, Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA).

The first Director-General of the Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), Oluyemi Akinadewo, is dead. He died of cardiac arrest at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). He was on oxygen mask for three days before he breathed his last. He was 68.

The late Akinadewo was a man of many parts; first, he was an orthodox medicine practitioner; and then a traditional medicine practitioner – a passion he nurtured till he passed away on May 7.

In his lifetime, he held several key positions within and outside the country. Some of them are Coordinator, National Expert Committee (NEC) on Traditional Medicine; Director, Ministry of Science and Technology, Director-General, Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA); Visiting International Chairman, Hong Kong Traditional Medicine Board; International Vice President, Nigeria Agency for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS and Cancer and President, Nigeria China Academy of Natural Medicine.

He wrote many books. Some of them are: “Sketch on Natural Medicine”, “Medicinal Plants and their Therapeutic Uses in the South west Zone of Nigeria (Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states).

Expressions of practitioners, loved ones, and others on him Excerpts:

Arch-Bishop (Prof) Magnus Atilade, a Chiropractor

Death is the great denominator. The late Prof Akinadewo was a very devoted and faithful enthusiast. He was an active and ardent administrator. He tried his best to promote traditional medicine. I nominated him as the Director-General of Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA). At that time the Federal Ministry of Health was distancing itself from herbalists because its leading lights were orthodox doctors.The college was not the original idea of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. It was in the proposal of the then Nigerian Council of Physician of Natural Medicine led by me, Dr (Bishop) Magnus Atilade as President; Dr Samuel Fafure as deputy and the late Dr Marcus Dawodu as Secretary. We wanted an institution in which we could impart knowledge to young Nigerians, carry out researches and produce Nigerian healing herbal formulas; develop them into proprietary products, which would be sold in Nigeria and overseas. As a re-assurance that government funds would not be spent irreverently, we, the Council members, proposed that Federal Ministry of Science and Technology appoint from the civil service a director-general as executive head of the college. The proposal was accepted and the late Akinadewo was chosen. His Foundation should not go down the drain. I appeal that his struggles would not be in vain. Practitioners in Traditional Medicine and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) should come together and push the Bill into Law at the Senate by ensuring the President append his signature.

CEO, Health Forever Living Products, Otunba Okubena Olajuwon

I met Prof Akinadewo several years ago when he was the pioneer Director-General of Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA). Through this agency, enlightened public awareness was created for the first time through a Federal Government agency. Even though during his tenure, the African Union (AU) was encouraging and mandating all African states, including Nigeria to institutionalise African Traditional Medicine within the decade of 2001 to 2010, Nigeria did not get its acts together and she is one of the few delinquent countries that failed to implement the AU mandate because as at 2013, the law governing Traditional Medicine has not been enacted. After his retirement from NNMDA, the tempo of popularising natural medicine seemed to have gone down, but surprisingly, he resurfaced in his private capacity to join the clarion call for institutionalising traditional medicine in the last three years of his sojourn on earth. He made his mark and contributed his quota to the development of natural medicine in Nigeria. As a tribute to his memory, I hope the appropriate authorities would accelerate efforts to enact the appropriate law that would give official recognition to Traditional Medicine in Nigeria and institutionalise it in the country so that TM would take its appropriate place in the healthcare delivery system. There is no doubt that all stakeholders would miss his invaluable contribution to the development of the TM project.

His second wife, Mrs Ololade Akinadewo

We will miss him, especially his commitment to God. I am not happy because he hasn’t lived long to eat the fruit of his labour. The family received the news of his death terribly. It was terrible when the children heard about their dad’s death. They were all weeping and crying. I have never seen my younger son cried the way he did in his life. He cried for almost a day. He cried for almost three hours non-stop. He kept sobbing. We all missed him anyway. We are all still crying. What I can do is to encourage people that are working with him to keep up his legacy.

Chairman, National Expert Committee, Prof Adebukunola Adefula-Ositelu

Prof Akinadewo was a man of many parts and one of many brains that Nigeria can be proud of. He was the pivot, the wheel that was steering the committee to go on. He was important and highly respected. He was always going to Abuja and all the ministries to seek support as if going to the next door. My first contact with him was four years ago when Titi Oduye introduced him to me. He had a complaint about his eyes and when I examined him I found out he has primary open angle glaucoma. He became interested in garcina Kola nut extract (Yoruba, orogbo) research work that I had done. He was present when I delivered my inaugural lecture. He also brought members of the committee with him and they were all very impressed with the garcina kola clinical work. We had two meetings. The second was at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, which stakeholders in the health sector such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRID), different national committees, Mr Femi Kusa, and many others graced. There, it was decided we need to move forward concerning the natural products that we have in Nigeria. It was agreed that practitioners should come forward with their formulas which would be subjected to clinical trials; do toxicology, among others. Three weeks ago we had a meeting at his office on Ikorodu Road. We asked people to come and register their products for clinical trials. They too will be involved. We made the move because there were factions. We were trying to bring them together to have one voice. His death should not bring the committee to an end. I think we still need to get over the shock of his death. Naturally, it was another shock for me this year having lost my husband earlier in the year. We can get over this. Once he is burie,. I think we can come together again and start off somewhere. I don’t think we should allow his dream to die. Many of the committee members are well-known and well to do. We will decide on what next to do.

Tam Okujagu, Director General/Chief Executive

Prof Oluyemi Akinadewo served several years in the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and became the pioneer Director- General, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) on its establishment in 1997. He was a great advocate of natural medicine promotion, research and development, and worked to nurture and pursued the goals, objectives and mandate of the Agency.

His Personal Assistant, Mr Kolawole Solola

The late Akinadewo’s career started at Onikan Health Centre, Lagos, as a medical doctor. He was a General Practitioner (GP). He studied at Howard University, United States. The deceased was instrumental to the Beijing 2000 Conference in China. He led the Nigerian delegates with the then Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr Pauline Talley who was also the former Deputy Governor of Plateau State. He was among the facilitators and even drafted the communiqué at the end of the conference. That further enhanced the bi-lateral trade agreement between Nigeria and China. This has blossomed since then. Apart from being a medical doctor, he was also a devout Christian and a deeply spiritual person. He founded the Lord Mountain of Salvation House of Prayer (Oke Igbala Olu).

Former Cleric, Lord Mountain of Salvation House of Prayer (Oke Igbala Olu), Special Apostle Noah Odukeye.

Late Akinadewo was born into a Christian family; his parents were of Aladura Church. His father, Baba Aladura, Adekahunsi Akinadewo started the white garment church in Ondo town. He emulated his father. He started a white garment church in Washington DC, US in the 70s called “International House of Prayer”. He founded another called Oke Igbala (Mountain of Salvation) in Maryland also in the US. He was once a prophet with Ayo ni o. He founded the International Conference of Holy Ghost Church Nigeria and Overseas.

The Shepherd in-charge of the church, Special Apostle Olu Fawehinmi

I will describe the late Akinadewo as a spiritual guru and a dogged fighter who can confront anybody and any situation. He was a pioneer member of traditional medicine in Nigeria. He believed only in God. He had been seeing vision and making predictions since age six. He was a man of his conscience. Professor, as we often call him believed in fasting and prayer. He set up a medical centre for Ayo ni o. He didn’t see anybody as superior but God. I’ve been with him since the 80s and I remember vividly that he was driving on a fateful day and he asked me to get my pen and notebook and he gave me 26 predictions and by 7:00pm that day, one of them came to past.

I also remember a scenario one Sunday morning when he enjoined the congregation to pray for Retired General Olusegun Obasanjo, who then was incarcerated that he still has many things to do for the country. Obasanjo was released a couple of weeks later and consequently became the civilian president. He was my mentor. If anybody had passed through him, they would have met God. We were in the church the last Sunday before his death and he called me and one Mrs Kadiri and said in Yoruba Ijo o di owo e o, (the church is in your hand).

Press Secretary, National Expert Committee (NEC) and a traditional medicine practitioner, Dr Lambo Adebisi.

I had known the late professor for over 10 years ago. I met him at a period when traditional medicine was trying to get official recognition. It was Chief Olajuwon Okubena that brought the idea that practitioners should come together to promote traditional medicine. An idea that the late Prof Akinadewo supported and gave his all. He built bridges and brought warring factions together. I got to know him better after he retired as Director-General of Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA). He did not depart from developing the practice. The deceased promoted traditional medicine and encouraged others to do same. He was a goal getter and a good listener. He did not relent in promoting the practice. He was always going to Abuja, Kaduna and other states, to ensure collaboration, especially with government agencies and parasatals such as Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Science and Technology. The late Prof Akinadewo was interested in knowing how much people understand him. He always wanted to impact knowledge. He was a good Christian who feared God. He always alluded to the Bible when teaching or talking to people.