Mohammed Shosanya
President Bola Tinubu has vowed never to relent until the menance of drug addiction is eroded in Nigeria.
Tinubu, while declaring a summit open to commemorate the 2024 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, on Wednesday,commended NDLEA, in its fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking as well as its ramped-up efforts to prevent the Nigerian populace from falling prey to the drug scourge.
Speaking on the theme, “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention,” the President who was, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, said: ” I enjoin all and sundry to support the War Against Drug Abuse initiative, otherwise known as the WADA campaign, launched by NDLEA three years ago”.
He urged the Agency to redouble their efforts to combat drug abuse and trafficking in the country. On this score, I wish to reassure you of this administration’s support. The Renewed Hope Agenda places the youth at the centre of its focus. Therefore, we ensure that our young people are protected from anything that could derail their future or destroy their potential.”
Noting that illicit drugs and substances have wreaked havoc on individuals, families, communities and countries worldwide, the President said: “In the face of such a formidable challenge, prevention is the most potent weapon that we can deploy. Prevention not only saves lives; it also saves resources that would otherwise be spent on treatment and rehabilitation.
” It empowers individuals to make informed choices, promotes healthy lifestyles and creates resilient communities capable of withstanding the pressures of drug abuse.
“Investing in prevention is not merely a moral imperative, a prudent way of safeguarding our future. By allocating resources towards evidence-based prevention programmes, we can break the vicious cycle of drug abuse and protect our youth from falling prey to the menace.”
The President further noted that “The assignment before us as a country requires that we prioritise evidence-based prevention strategies, allocate adequate resources and foster partnerships for greater impact.”
He gave assurances that: “This government will support NDLEA to build on the success recorded in the past few years. We shall work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that we have positive statistics from the next national drug use survey that will be conducted in the country.”
He urged all Nigerians to join hands in this noble cause.
“This is an assignment for all patriotic citizens of this country, including religious leaders, traditional leaders, educational institutions, opinion leaders, and civil society organisations. NDLEA has created a formidable platform for cooperation vis-à-vis its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy initiative,” he said.
In his welcome remark, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) said that the ‘Save Our Families’ social advocacy campaign launched at the ceremony by the President, is designed to prevent and tackle drug use through early detection and intervention by making the Agency’s newly produced special drug test kits a necessity in every home, schools and workplaces.
According to him, “The Agency has introduced the Drug Integrity Test initiative anticipated to metamorphose into an anti-drug culture for every Nigerian.
He said the test is intended for secondary school students, students seeking admission into tertiary institutions and returning students, workers in government and private offices and individuals seeking political offices as well as prospective couples before taking their marriage vows.
According to him, the drug test will serve as a tool for the prevention of drug use and early detection of the individual’s status of drug use for the purpose of appropriate intervention including treatment and rehabilitation. Let me also add that our drug integrity test, which has been adopted by some government institutions and tertiary institutions in the country, is a preventive mechanism.
“As a result, we have produced tens of thousands of special test kits capable of detecting 15 different substances, now available in all our commands across the country. This is for use in homes, schools, workplaces and others. Apart from helping in early detection of drug abuse especially by our youths so that we can get them help in form of treatment, this will also create some deterrence effects.”
Speaking on the theme for this year’s World Drug Day, Marwa said drug use prevention lies at the heart of NDLEA’s strategy in addressing the drug problem because it is far more effective and cost-efficient to prevent drug abuse than to deal with its consequences.