Group wants collaboration with NDLEA to fight drug abuse in FCT

Fri, Aug 3, 2018 | By publisher


Health

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Vanguard Against Drug Abuse (V-GADA_NG), says it wants to collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the fight against drug abuse among the youth in the FCT.

The National Coordinator of the organisation, Dr Hope Abraham, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday that a strong collaboration between the two parties would effectively curtail the menace in the territory.

“I want to urge the NDLEA to help in the campaign against drug abuse by organising more workshops and sensitisation programmes to educate our targeted audience on the dangers of the menace,” Abraham said.

He said that the organisation had, on its part, embarked on occasional sensitisation programmes on the dangers of drug abuse in the territory.

“Even recently, we organised a programme themed: “Drug Abuse and Our Future” which featured several speakers who had been victims of drug abuse and who talked extensively on the effects of the problem on them and their success story thereafter.

“We don’t intend to stop there, as we are planning to organise more campaigns before the end of the year.

The national coordinator also said that the rising cases of drug abuse in Nigeria had been a concern to many.

“Substance abuse has been on the rise in recent times.

“For instance, Tramadol is cheap, deadly, affordable, easily accessible but lethal. Its abuse has been on the rise in recent times which also is a consequent rise in the adverse effects of abuse, deaths inclusive.

“From the young to the old, rich to the poor, none is exempted from the craze that is silently and surely permeating the fabric of our society,” he said.

Abraham, therefore, expressed the need for the NDLEA to join hands with the group in the efforts at curbing the menace.

“The organisation has been curtailing the increasing menace of drug abuse among youths and other Nigerians in recent times.

“But we cannot do this on our own without involving the NDLEA to help in this fight and see to the end of drug abuse in Nigeria,” he said.

He advised parents to monitor their children to know the kind of company they kept, saying that this would help to reduce the rate of the abuse.

The national coordinator also urged public spirited individuals in the territory to join hands in the fight, adding, “We must all take on this fight to safeguard our future.”

He called on the government to provide more infrastructures for the rehabilitation of victims of drug abuse to facilitate their reintegration into the society. (NAN)

– Aug. 3, 2018 @ 14:25 GMT |

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