The Task Before The Three Nigerian Pharmaceutical Companies

As the world awaits the trial and result of the Covid 19 vaccine produced in China, it is pertinent to acknowledge that similar efforts are going on around the world laboratories. These steps are taken at global level to fight Covid19 pandemic.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a public service. It is a critical exercise for a cause and social positive change. Its aim is to mitigate and add value continually. The need for CSR in modern day commenced in the 50s, especially by industries and corporations which impact society negatively through the processes of manufacturing goods and services. Since then CSR has become an essential part of management and corporate systems.

The recent outbreak of Covid19 has intensified the strategy of corporate world to use CSR to tackle the menace in a global manner. The stampede to be the first organization to produce Covid vaccine is not only about the commercial value, it is also public service which CSR is all about.

Perhaps our long dependence on Western medicine stopped third world countries like Nigeria and other African nations from using their local herbs and medication to fight Covid19 just as Western Pharmaceutical companies have been doing since the outbreak. The only country that have proved exceptional is Madagascar.

It was Madagascar that woke up the consciousness of Nigerian Pharmaceutical and medical experts to think along Madagascar way. It was Mao Tse Tung’s China that taught the world that agrarian revolution precedes industrial revolution. This time Covid came through there apparently to teach the world how to use herbs around their environments to cure ailments, without waiting for Western medical experts to lead.

The accolade for the herb experiments going on now in Nigeria may have been given to the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid, but in essence it should go partially or wholly to Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and civil society that campaigned for the trial and use of local herbs. It would have been a big shame if PTF did not allow these agitators for local solutions to participate in this global research and experiments.

Finally, the task before the three companies is to show integrity and leadership because there are more opportunities ahead.