The plea was contained in a statement signed by the association’s chairman, Godwin Akpan, yesterday, where he noted that both newspaper and magazine distributors inform, persuade, entertain, persuade and change their customers’ behaviour.
Applauding the distributors, the group noted: “Both newspaper and magazine distributors carry printed information about the national, state and local government levels, news with stocks to buy, company launch and political news about which parties and personalities are winning at the poll.
NDAN pleaded with the government to educate vendors and provide additional skills for them.
Akpan said: “Government or interest groups should identify with us, gather data and give necessary assistance to our organisation. They should provide an enabling business environment for distributors of press products by improving the infrastructure and providing insurance cover for vendors in case of an accident.
“Newspaper distributors create new needs in the minds of customers to buy a particular product, but what they get in return are peanuts and total neglect, with many vendors and agents losing their lives in motor accidents or sustained injuries that result in permanent disability while plying their trade without any support from government or interest groups.”
