The Kebbi State Government is to establish a forest reserve in Kalgo Local Government Area for traditional medicine practitioners, as part of efforts to preserve indigenous knowledge and prevent the extinction of medicinal herbs.
Governor Nasir Idris gave the directive when he received leaders of the Coalition of the National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP), Kebbi State chapter, at the Government House, Birnin Kebbi, yesterday.
‘We do not want our traditional medicine to vanish. I have directed the Ministry of Environment to find a forest reserve for the association in Kalgo Local Government Area,’ he said.
Idris pledged to fulfil earlier commitments to the association, including appointing one Senior Special Assistant from each of the state’s four emirates, and said the government would organise a capacity-building workshop for members. The government had also donated two vehicles to support the association’s activities.
The Governor listed ongoing federal projects in the state, including the Malando-Warra-Ngaski, Koko-Dabai and Koko-Besse-Zaria Kala-Kala-Bagudo road projects, and said more than 2,000 primary and secondary schools had been renovated statewide. He added that 26 of the state’s 30 general hospitals had been renovated, along with 176 of 225 primary healthcare centres, with the remainder to follow.
Idris said his administration’s achievements justified continued support for President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, urging the association to sustain its cooperation.
NANTMP Kebbi Chairman, Alhaji Rilwanu Wasagu, reaffirmed the association’s loyalty to Idris and pledged to mobilise its more than 40,000 members for the APC in 2027, commending the governor’s record in infrastructure, healthcare, education and agriculture.
He also praised the free fertiliser and farm input distribution, and appealed for land allocation for medicinal plant cultivation as well as a permanent secretariat for the association.