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…holds maiden cultural fiesta 18th December in Anambra
Raymond Ozoji, Awka
Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU) says the dangerous substance called ‘Mkpulu mmiri’ in local parlance and other illicit drugs have made many youths in different communities become mentally deranged and erratic with amoral behaviours.
ASATU equally observed that the rate at which Mkpulu mmiri had escalated and penetrated the hinterlands spelt doom if drastic measures were not taken to not only curtail the spread but to also eradicate it completely from the communities to save lives and guarantee a healthy environment.
National President of ASATU, Chief Barr. Titus Nnabuike Akpudo, who spoke with our correspondent in an exclusive interview in Awka, said ASATU had taken it upon itself to cleanse communities and to also fish out dealers and consumers of Mkpulu mmiri and other life-threatening drugs.
Akpudo said most of the people who indulged in hard drugs reside in communities. As a result, he said ASATU had series of meetings and charged all the presidents-general of the 179 communities in Anambra state to inaugurate task force in their various communities to tackle the menace vigorously.
He said the major task of the monitoring teams were not the end-users but the dealers of Mkpulu mmiri in the communities, adding that the task force were also advised not to apply jungle justice in carrying out their operations but to apprehend suspects and hand them over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for appropriate actions to be taken.
The ASATU national president who stated that the festive periods were fast approaching, maintained that there was need for those in the communities to be alive to welcome their loved ones who will be returning home for the Yuletide season and other engagements, hence ASATU took a giant step to wage war on dealers and consumers of Mkpulu mmiri and other Illicit substances in the communities.
ASATU Holds Maiden Cultural Fiesta 18th December In Anambra
Meanwhile, in a bid to sustain the cultural heritage handed down to the people by their progenitors, ASATU says it has gotten approval from the state government to organise her very first edition of community cultural festivals.
The cultural carnivals slated for 18th December this year at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square Awka is expected to showcase the rich heritage and traditions of the various communities in Anambra state.
Disclosing this to our correspondent during an exclusive interview at the ASATU complex Awka, the national president Barr. Titus Nnabuike Akpudo said the event was initially scheduled to hold 30th October this year but was shifted to 18th December due to security challenges.
Akpudo said all the towns through their local governments would come to the cultural festival with dancing troops, masqueraders or wrestlers for exhibitions and there would be prices for the best performers.
He said the aim of the cultural fiesta was to promote and showcase to the rest of the world cultures from different communities in Anambra state, adding that awards and investitures would equally form integral aspects of the epoch-making event.
Akpudo said after the first edition, the ASATU cultural fiesta would become an annual event in order to sustain it and that if properly managed by his successors, the annual cultural festival would be a veritable source of revenue generation for the state government.
