By Precious Akutamadu
The State Commander of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Rivers, Ahmed Mamuda, has called on the state government to include the Agency into the State’s Security Council.
Mamuda made the call on Monday during a workshop organised by the NDLEA in collaboration with the Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED)in Port Harcourt.
NDLEA Commander said that inclusion of the agency into the state security council would enable the agency voice its activities, achievements and challenges in the state.
Mamuda also called on the state government to come to the aid of the agency by building and equipping modern correctional rehabilitation centre and providing more operational vehicles to salvage the menace of drug abuse in the state.
Mamuda stated that the workshop with the theme: “The Role of NAPPMED in curbing the Menace of Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking” was in line with the directives given by the Director-General of NDLEA, to collaborate with all critical stakeholders in the communities through the concept called War Against Drug Abuse(WADA).
He said that the aim of the workshop was to educate NAPPMED members who are very close to the society on their responsibilities and limitations in dispensing drugs to the public.
“The aim is also to educate them on the need to collaborate with NDLEA to fight against drug abuse by educating the youth who indulge in using illicit drugs on the dangers of drug abuse,” he said.
Mamuda, who resumed work in Rivers on Feb. 16, 2022, said that the drug abuse activities in the state were disturbing.
Consequently, there have been activities recently put in place to curtail the abuse.
Mamuda also called on state government to inaugurate state drug committee control to ensure that all the stakeholders in the state come together to proffer solutions that will curtail drug abuse in the state.
“We have also succeeded in convicting over 84 suspects and other cases pending,” he said.
Mamuda advised NAPPMED members and all patent medicine vendors to abide by the law and desist from unethical dispensing of controlled drugs to members of the public.
He stated that NDLEA is committed to achieving a drug abuse free state, and ensuring that persons that dispense drugs that were not allowed by the constitution of the country would be arrested, investigated and prosecuted by law.
Mrs Quanta Dappa, the Desk Officer Drug and Substance Abuse Control Unit, Rivers State Ministry of Health, said that the state government in collaboration with relevant agencies, had been working in synergy to ensure that illicit drug trafficking and drug abuse would be reduced to the barest minimum.
Dappa stated that the state ministry of health constituted a Drug and Substance Reduction and Control committee of eleven members comprising the NDLEA, Nigerian Police State Command,the Prison Correctional Centre and Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria,the Civil Defense Corps to curb the menance of drug abuse in the state.
She mentioned some of the drugs that pose a lot of problem in the society as Tramadol which people use as a pain killer but youths now use a dosage as high as 800mg which throws them out of their senses.
Dappa stated some of the challenges faced by the ministry while carrying out sensitization in schools and communities as violent reactions and resistance from the drug abuse users, finance and manpower.
Quanta reassured that the state government was committed to ensuring that the menace of drug abuse was eradicated in the state.
Mr Charles Opara, the Acting President Rivers I, Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers, said that NAPPMED collaborated with NDLEA in making sure that members did not indulge in dispensing illicit drugs to the public.
According to Opara, NAPPMED set up a taskforce team that goes round all patent medicine stores to make sure that no member deals on illicit drugs.
He said that NDLEA also carried out investigations, arrests and prosecutes persons who were not registered patent medicine dealers that indulged in dispensing of illicit drugs.
One of the members of NAPPMED, Mr Michael Akuwudike, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), assured that they would continue to collaborate with NDLEA to fight against drug abuse in the state.
Akuwudike commended NDLEA for the workshop, saying that he would never sell illicit drugs.
Akuwudike also urged other members of NAPPMED to avoid dispensing any drugs that would contribute to the destruction of lives in the state and the country at large.
NAN reports that the NDLEA Assistant State Commander, Drug Demand Reduction Unit in Rivers, while presenting a paper on the topic: “Consequences of Substance Abuse”, listed some of the drugs not to be sold by NAPPMED to include Rohypnol, Amphetamines, Lexotan, Ephedrine tabs, cough and cold syrup with codeine.
Others are Librium cap, Tramadol, Dextrose injection, Phenobal injection, Diazepam tablets and Tramadol royal shrubbery flavour.(NAN)
