The Cross River State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has recommended periodic psychiatric tests for security agencies to evaluate the mental wellbeing of officers of the Nigeria Police Force as well as regular drug tests, especially at the point of entry.
It advocated robust synergy between state government, the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency and other relevant agencies for a joint task force to curtail the alarming rate of drug abuse, especially among youths arising from unhindered access to hard drugs/substances across the state.
Read also: NUJ wants solution to power challenges, Akwanga-Jos road
It also appealed to the government to urgently establish a drug rehabilitation center as requested by the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency to rehabilitate the growing population of youths entangled in drug abuse across the state.
In a 15-point communique issued at the end of the monthly congress of the Cross River State Council of NUJ held recently, Archibong Bassey, chairman of the council, said that after exhaustive deliberations on every item on the agenda and pertinent concerns raised by members, the Congress resolved that members applauded the state government for the ongoing rehabilitation works at the Cross River State Newspaper Corporation describing the gesture as a reflection of the resilient determination of government to reposition the media sector in the state for optimum service delivery.
The congress appealed to the government to urgently employ graduates and artisans with relevant background to fill the glaring manpower gaps to enable the Newspaper Corporation to function effectively upon completion of the rehabilitation works.
Read also: Gov. Bassey Otu Hands Over 14-Seater Bus to Cross River NUJ, Seeks Partnership with the Media
The congress condemned the shooting incident at Atakpa Police Station by Watt Market on Sunday resulting in the death of a woman, while several others were left with various degrees of injuries.
The members unanimously called for a full scale investigation into the incident, especially given the growing speculations that the killer cop committed a similar offense at his last station outside the state before he was codely deployed to the state to avert prosecution.
