February 24, (THEWILL) – A group, Kano Unity Forum, has asked pharmaceutical traders doing business at the Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi Market to relocate to the new pharmaceutical market provided for them by the Kano State Government.
The forum made the call in a joint press conference addressed by its convener, Alhaji Gidado Mukhtar, at the NUJ Press Centre, Kano, on Saturday.
“In recent years, various calculated attempts have been made to destroy Kano through the importation of dangerous and illicit drugs. The sad development has become the greatest threat to Kano’s future and by extension, Northern Nigeria.
“This orchestrated drug war is a carefully planned war that is unleashed on our youths and our future generations. Many of these drug dealers operate openly in the Muhammad Abubakar Rimi Market, Sabongari, which is a clear violation of the relevant Federal and State Laws.
“From statistics obtained from the NDLEA, the situation is very alarming. The figures clearly indicate that from the beginning of this year, that is January to date, psychotropic substances seized in Kano included 5,040,000 pills of tramadol weighing 267.4kg and 249,000 tablets of Exol-5 weighing 81.9kg. This is within a span of less than 60 days.
“We cannot fold our arms and watch helplessly while the future of our society and that of our human resource is systematically destroyed,” it said.
Disturbed by “this sordid state of affairs”, the forum further said the Kano State Government, through Public-Private Partnership (PPP), initiated the establishment of a modern pharmaceutical market within the new Kano Economic City at Dangwauro to allow for proper regulation control and monitoring of unlawful and other criminal activities, adding that the new market meets all the global best practices standards.
“Unfortunately, in spite of all the modern facilities provided at the new Dangwauro market, those involved in the illicit trade have deployed all means at their disposal to resist and frustrate the directives to move to the new market.
“We, as elders and patriotic citizens of our beloved State, would like to make it clear that this unfortunate development will no longer be tolerated. It should also be clearly understood that we are speaking with one voice over this. We are also determined to follow all legitimate ways and means to put a stop to this unfortunate development.
“We are calling on all the pharmaceutical traders at the Muhammad Abubakar Rimi market to comply with the Government directives, as affirmed recently by the court, to immediately relocate to the new pharmaceutical market at the Kano Economic City.
“The menace of illicit drugs will no longer be tolerated in Kano as it is destroying the future of our youths and the society in general,” the forum said.
The organisations represented at the joint Press Conference include the Kano Concerned Citizens Initiative (KCCI), Kano Leadership Enlightenment and Advocacy Development Initiative (KLEADS), Kano Shadows, Kano Peace and Development Initiative (KAPEDI), Northern Reform Organisations (NRO), Kano Youth Promotion Council, and League for Societal Protection Against Drug Abuse (LESPADA).
About the Author
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
