By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Awka

The founder, Centre for Psychic and Healing Administration (CPHA), Awka, Anambra State, Chief Dr Mrs Flora Nkemakonam Ionzo has invited world researchers and governments to her home to exploit a plant she said it was capable of healing and preventing the corona virus pandemic.

Ilonzo, in an exclusive interview at her herbal home inhibiting over 375 species of African plants with signatures signifying myriads of medicinal values, said her grandparents, who were equally renowned herbalists informed her that COVID-19 outbreak occurred oversees at their time and was imported into Nigeria and other African countries then.

This according to her, prompted herbalists and researchers in the continent and others to meet and initiate planting of a certain healing tree at public places.

The Spiritualist, who aside saving President Muhammadu Buhari from coup plotters when he was military Head of state, recovered arms and ammunition, and healed different ailments from people using herbals, recalled that in "one of my radio programmes in 2018, I mentioned some diseases and pandemics that occurred in the past and present which our forefathers used a certain plant to treat them.

" Among them is Ebola (known in Igbo as Nchiche); you can not go near those with this disease. I also talked about Coronavirus (known as Okwuma in Igbo language); you can not touch or go near the person. So, corona virus is not new. It killed a lot of great men and women, rich and the poor all over the world when it occurred in the past.

" Because of this, our forefathers held meetings and decided that the tree should be planted at village squares, markets, hospitals, homes, shrines and so on. All tribes and nationalities have different names for the plant. There are also other plants in different parts of the world with such medicinal values. Unfortunately, most of them have been felled indiscriminately out of ignorance, get rich quick syndrome and religious beliefs.

“All parts of this tree are useful, it’s bark, roots, leaves and even inhaling its scent heals. In that radio programme I promised to offer the plant to everyone for free. But only five persons came to my centre (CPHA) and took the plant for free. This attracted a delegate from the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Abuja to my Centre. I conducted them round my herbal gardens and they confirmed it, promising to get back for further studies but never came back till date."

She, however, urged people, while keeping to stay indoors and social distancing order issued by the governments, to always grind uziza (African pepper/black pepper) and ginger and add it with lime or lemon, and drink a teaspoon of it in the morning and night for healthier living in the era of pandemic.

Ilonzo, who maintained that locusts and famine usually follow corona virus, warned Nigerians to expedite action towards exterminating the pandemic by visiting her home for solutions on them.

We have heard you ma!

booking....of space

done and dusted.