Mr Martins Nwabueze, founder and CEO of Tilova for Africa, a charity and equal rights group based in the United States, has urged Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State to reconsider his approach toward addressing criminality by targeting native doctors.
Nwabueze expressed concerns that the administration’s efforts to restore order in the state may be unjustly making scapegoats of traditional spiritual practitioners.
He said that the governor’s challenge for native doctors to demonstrate the ailments they cure, as a means to identify genuine practitioners, is flawed.
Nwabueze emphasised that not all native doctors, known as dibia in Igbo culture, are herbalists or traditional medicine practitioners.
He explained that dibia is an umbrella term for professionals with diverse specialties, including divination (Igba afa), spiritual cleansing (Ilu agwu), and other practices that do not involve the use of herbs or physical medicine.
“It is this confusion between dibia and traditional medicine practitioners that leads to unjustified demands from Gov. Soludo for native doctors to prove their healing capabilities.
“Not all dibia cure ailments; some focus solely on spiritual matters,” he said.
Nwabueze further questioned the criteria used by the government to determine the authenticity of native doctors and expressed concerns about profiling individuals based on their profession or spiritual practices.
He called for fairness, noting that anyone linked to criminal activities should be arrested based on evidence, irrespective of their social or religious background.
“Why are native doctors being singled out while some pastors are not subjected to similar scrutiny? The government should clarify how it distinguishes between genuine and fake practitioners.
“Are we returning to the biblical scenario of Moses and Pharaoh, where supernatural powers are tested in public?” he asked.
Nwabueze suggested that the state should focus on systemic issues such as education, job creation, public enlightenment campaigns, and combating corruption and drug abuse.
He highlighted the urgent need to address drug abuse among youths in Anambra, stating it poses a greater challenge than the activities of online native doctors creating content.
He also called for equal treatment of all citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs or social standing.
“Persecuting traditional religion practitioners because they are in the minority is unfair and unjust. Societies thrive when all individuals are treated equally,” Nwabueze said.
