Drug dealers solicits state government assistance to meet deadline

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April 23, 2018 2:37 PM

Mr Chukwuemeka Osuagwu, its Chairman, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Aba that the association was still facing the challenge of paying for the land.

The Abia Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers Association (APPAMDA) has solicited the assistance of the state government in building the Abia Wholesale Drug Control Center (WCC) to avoid sanctions.

He said that the drug dealers needed to raise money to pay the owner of the property where the facility would be built to enable the construction work start in earnest.

According to him, the association is yet to get the money to pay the land owner and this is why work is yet to start.

Osuagwu said that the Federal Government gave the drug dealers January 2019 to complete the WCC and move into the facility or face sanctions.

He said that with only eight months to the expiration of the deadline, they might not meet the deadline if state government did not come to their aid.

“The developers sent by the Federal Government have written to us to say that they are ready to come collect the survey plan and start work.

“We replied that they should be patient with us; this is to allow us time to reach an understanding with the owner of the land before we commence work on the project.

“We don’t want people to see us as being lawless, so the right thing must be done,” he said

Osuagwu, however, said the association was yet to see the governor because of some bottlenecks.

He expressed optimism to see him soon following his promise to assist them whenever the need arose.

Osuagwu said that the association had a pending leadership matter in court that had affected the response of their members towards contributing to the project.

He said that now that the matter had been decided by a state high court in favour of his team, the process of collecting money would improve.

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