Monday, February 19, 2007

Institute discovers herbal cure for AIDS, says forestry boss
From Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan

HOPE of a lasting cure to the dreaded HIV/AIDS brightened at the weekend as the Executive Director of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Dr. Solomon Badejo, disclosed that the institute has discovered medicinal plants for the treatment of the disease and other similar ailments.

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An elated Badejo disclosed this in Ibadan, Oyo State capital while conducting the Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Helen Esuene round the institute.

The institute's boss listed the scientific breakthroughs recorded by the team of researchers and solicited government's efforts at sustaining the feat.

He explained that the digitisation of African type specimens under the API programme sponsored by the Andrew Melon Foundation, U.S.A, was in progress.

The FRIN boss also informed the minister of the institute's development of the use of sawmill wood wastes - principally sawdust - and wood shavings from sawmills and plant markets, for the production of ceiling boards, floor tiles and wall tiles.

Badejo added that FRIN had established and continue to maintain the largest Forest Herbarium (FHI) in West African with a collection of 107,294 plant specimens inclusive of the documentation of the medicinal uses of some of the plants.

Esuene, in her remarks, expressed joy over the breakthrough and assured that the

Federal Government would "do everything possible to promote the usage of the made-in -Nigeria decorative ceiling boards and tiles being manufactured by the institute."