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Health minister warns drug dealers to relocate

By Christian Chime, Onitsha
14 August 2017   |   3:50 am
Drugs and allied products dealers and distributors in Onitsha, Anambra State and elsewhere have been warned by the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole to relocate as the latest extension of the deadline to next year was going to be the last.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole

Drugs and allied products dealers and distributors in Onitsha, Anambra State and elsewhere have been warned by the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole to relocate as the latest extension of the deadline to next year was going to be the last.

The Minister who led the team of top Federal Government officials on a two-day working visit to the state noted that, “Yes there are doubters who think the government was not serious with the policy but I have emphasized that this is the last extension of the relocation deadline. I want everyone to get serious and start building at the new locations.”

Dealers in Aba, Kano, Onitsha and Lagos were mandated by the Federal Government to move to a new site in realization of the newly introduced Coordinated Wholesale Centre (CWC).

The minister after inspecting and assessing the suitability of the new site, gave kudos to the Uche Eze-led Central Pharmaceutical and Allied Products Wholesales team for their efforts and zeal in the acquisition of the location. He therefore approved the site for immediate construction of the prototype shops as already designed and approved for them by theFederal Government.

Also the Minister, in a well-attended interactive session with the traders and other stakeholders including the officials of the state government, the host community of the new market site, pharmacists,medical doctors, pharmaceutical products manufacturers/importers/distributors, traditional rulers, charged all to work assiduously to meet the next year’s deadline.

Adewole and his entourage that included the National Agency for Foods, Drug Administration and Control(NAFDAC), Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria(PCN) and others, at the end of the visit gave a passmark to the traders.

He admitted that though not much structure was on ground, but, “I am impressed with the new Oba site. It’s beautiful and am reassured of the commitment by the stakeholders that they were going to meet the deadline of Dec 31,2018.”

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