Akwa Ibom NAPPMED Seeks NDLEA Intervention To End Embarrassment By Narcotics Police On Members

Akaiso Akaiso, Uyo

Worried by incessant embarrassment by Narcotics Police on his members, the Chairman of Nigeria Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers, Akwa Ibom State Chapter, Comrade Victor Archibong has solicited assistance from the Akwa Ibom State Commandant of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Madam Uduak Obot Bassey to intervene to curb the trend before it gets out of hand.

Comrade Archibong described the way and manner the Nigeria Police Force Narcotics usually bump into their Medicine stores in search of illegal drugs as invasion of their privacy and embarrassment to their members and appealed to the Commandant to save them from this embarrassing situation by these human vampires.

“We know the law stipulates line of duty for Nigeria Police Force Narcotics division to be on the road to check and arrest those who traffic in narcotics. While the duty of control and arrest of those dealing on narcotics rests on National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

“It is on this premise that we are soliciting your good office to save us from regular embarrassment by the Police who will arrest our members indiscriminately even though nothing incriminating is found in our shops”, he said.

At the seminar organized by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Akwa Ibom State command, to educate the attendees who were mainly members of NAPPMED drawn from the thirty one local government areas of Akwa Ibom State, on the dos and don’t of their practice, the state number one or Numero uno of Patent Medicine, thanked the NDLEA state Commandant for thinking well of them to organize a training seminar this one making the second in the series since she assumed duties in the state.

As stakeholders in the healthcare delivery, the Chairman who was apparently elated by the way the resource persons dissected their lectures, believed all his members who attended the seminar were able to learn one new thing or the other, advising that they put to use what they have learnt when they return to their respective shops to improve their fortune.

In furtherance of his appreciation, he presented an award of excellence to the state Commandant of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mrs Uduak Obot Bassey for collaborating the state executive of the association to mount the seminar to improve the lots of his members, not once but twice looking forward for more collaborations.

The chairman who also used the opportunity to identify with Governor Umo Eno on his giant developmental strides under eleven months in office, thanked him immensely for giving a go ahead for the hosting of the seminar and appealed to him for a choice parcel of land for the association to erect its state secretariat and also a bus to mobilize them for both state and national engagements.

In attempt to sanitize the practice of patent and Proprietary Medicine in the state in line with all that they have learnt, he constituted a monitoring team which was inaugurated the same day to oversee those that may want to operate contrary to the laid down laws guiding their daily operations.

In her response, the award recipient who has a strong pedigree of military, being the daughter of the first female military general from Akwa Ibom extraction, expressed gratitude to NAPPMED for the award and advised Akwa Ibom people to shun narcotics drugs, adding that it is not a good thing to live a life of drugs as the end is always death.

Short messages of goodwill were presented at the occasion by the representative of Commissioner for Education, Idongesit Etiebet who pledged collaboration with the association in subsequent training for a healthy society, and also advised participants to see training as an opportunity to learn, unlearn and relearn.

In the same vein, Priest Moses, one of those that contested for the chairmanship with the incumbent, and popularly known as “The South-South Man of Honor”, described the Chairman as a square peg in a square hole, saying he has performed beyond expectations. He believes at the end of his tenure he will leave a big shoe that may be difficult to fill.