Mediaage NG News – State House, ABUJA, Nigeria
Nigeria’s President on Wednesday at an event organised by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said the illicit use of drugs places huge burden on the government, as the consequences of it “reverberate across generations”.
However, he revealed that despite the challenge of drug abuse, prevention is a “formidable weapon” that must be deployed to fight the problems.
President Bola Tinubu said that illicit drugs and substances have wrecked havoc on individuals, families, communities and countries globally and the socioeconomic and health consequences of it are not only devastating to life but, has put a strain on health care systems.
He therefore, called for quick measures to combat drug abuse issues, one of which is prevention.
“Investing in prevention is not only a moral imperative but, a prudent way of safeguarding our future. By allocating resources towards evidence based prevention programs, we can protect our youth from falling prey. Prevention efforts must be comprehensive and target all the elements of the society, namely, schools, markets, motor parks, workplaces and communities”, Tinubu represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume said at the State House in Abuja, marking the 2024 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
President Tinubu said all stakeholders because, drug abuse problems require societal approach, as no single entity can tackle it alone.
“Effective prevention requires a spectrum, whereby, the government, civil societies, academia and the private sector will work hand in hand. It also requires a constrained international cooperation to support each other in our efforts to prevent drug trafficking” he said.
The President also launched the ‘Save Our Families Campaign’, a renewed initiative of the NDLEA to strengthen the fight against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting the NDLEA in its fight against substance and drug abuse.
The Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), said that the ‘Save Our Families’ campaign is purposed to prevent and fight 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.
“The Agency has introduced the Drug Integrity Test initiative anticipated to metamorphose into an anti-drug culture for every Nigerian. 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”, Buba Marwa said.
“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”, he added.
Guest Lecturer at the event, Dr Vincent Udenze pointed out that advocacy, prevention, are deliberate investments in the fight against substance abuse and illicit trafficking, stressing its importance to transport, health, and other key sectors of the economy.
He encouraged for increased funding for the NDLEA, emphasizing that for the activities of the agency to be better catered for, the government must deliberately invest in it
Udenze also tasked the private sector and civil society organisations to bolster the Save Our Families Campaign saying all groups are needed to empower the prevention campaign through a multisectoral approach.
The theme for this year’s World Drug Day is tagged”The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention”.