The Chief Executive Officer of Dreamscape Gardens, Thomas Emmanuel, has called for greater investment in Nigeria’s indigenous plants and local resources, saying the country can address some of its production and health challenges by developing what it already has rather than relying heavily on imported products.
Emmanuel, a landscape planner and conservationist with about 15 years of experience in the field, made the call while speaking on the Ask the Expert segment of Trade FM’s Breakfast Business Briefing.
His work, he said, has so far led to the collection of 98 indigenous plant species and 286 seeds, as well as the development of more than two dozen products from locally sourced materials.
According to Emmanuel, his interest in local production dates back to his childhood, when he began questioning why many products available in Nigerian markets were manufactured by foreign companies.
He recalled that in 1986, while his mother was taking him back to boarding school, he asked why many of the products they bought were imported or produced by foreign-owned companies.
That experience, he said, sparked a determination to explore how Nigerians could produce more of what they consume.
Emmanuel explained that he spent several years researching indigenous resources and eventually began travelling across Nigeria and other parts of West Africa to identify plants, collect seeds and learn from local communities.
He said his travels took him to countries including Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana, as well as several communities across Nigeria.
Initially, Emmanuel said he collected plants directly from farmers and transported them to Lagos for research and product development. However, he later realised that relying solely on farmers for raw materials could make production costs unstable.
He also became concerned about the increasing use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides among some farmers.
As a result, he began collecting seeds from the wild and cultivating them himself using organic methods.
“We grow them organically. No fertiliser,” he said, explaining that his operations rely on materials such as cow dung, chicken manure and other natural inputs, while neem-based solutions are used instead of conventional pesticides.
Emmanuel said the approach has enabled him to experiment with indigenous plants and develop products from food-based resources.
He cited tamarind and Dioscorea bulbifera, commonly known as aerial or air yam, among the plants he has researched and incorporated into his work.
He said the plants are identified not only by their botanical names but also by their indigenous names across different Nigerian communities, arguing that preserving such knowledge is important to the country’s cultural and scientific heritage.
Preserving traditional knowledge
Emmanuel said his interaction with traditional knowledge holders during his travels also changed his understanding of indigenous resources.
He explained that traditional knowledge about food and medicine is often intertwined with religion and spirituality, but argued that useful scientific information can be extracted by separating spiritual beliefs from aspects that can be researched and tested.
According to him, this knowledge can then be applied to modern production while maintaining respect for the communities from which it originated.
One of the plants that became particularly significant to his work was a plant he had searched for for about 11 years.
Emmanuel said he initially began looking for the plant after noticing what he believed was an inconsistency between its actual appearance and its depiction in Nigeria’s coat of arms.
He eventually located the plant in Jos in 2018 and transported about 25 specimens to Lagos. Only two survived the journey, he recalled, but he returned to collect more and subsequently began cultivating the plant.
He said his organisation has since expanded its cultivation of the plant across locations including Lagos, Osogbo and Kaduna, with millions of specimens now grown.
Nutrition, not medication
Emmanuel stressed that his focus is not on manufacturing medicines or presenting food products as treatments for diseases.
He said some customers may be attracted to his products because of concerns about eyesight and other health conditions, but maintained that his primary objective is to encourage healthier nutrition.
According to him, food and medication should not be confused.
He argued that a diet based on nutritious foods can support general wellbeing and potentially reduce dependence on medication, while cautioning against presenting food products as cures for medical conditions.
Emmanuel said his philosophy is therefore centred on helping people access nutritious food derived from indigenous resources.
Students as the next generation of researchers
The Dreamscape Gardens CEO also highlighted the importance of involving students in research and conservation efforts.
He said the scale of work required to document, study and develop Nigeria’s indigenous plant resources makes it impossible for one person to accomplish alone.
“The only way to get more people is to inspire them,” Emmanuel said, stressing the need to give students access to plants, research opportunities and the resources required to work with them.
He explained that his organisation has worked with students on research into indigenous plants, with projects examining areas such as chemical properties, nutritional composition and toxicity.
The information, he said, helps researchers determine how particular plants can be developed into products while considering safety.
Emmanuel cited a student, Benedicta, as an example of a young person who became increasingly involved in the field after being exposed to the work.
He said exposing larger numbers of students to indigenous plant research could produce more young researchers and innovators capable of continuing the work.
For Emmanuel, the long-term objective is not simply to develop products but to build a system in which Nigerians understand, conserve and commercially develop their indigenous resources.
He said greater attention to local plants, traditional knowledge, scientific research and organic cultivation could help Nigeria create more locally developed products while preserving resources for future generations.
