The Kogi State Government has reconstituted a 26-member Drug Control Committee in line with the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) 2015–2019 to tackle drug abuse and related challenges in the state.
Speaking at the inauguration of the committee in Lokoja, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade, said the decision was prompted by the growing menace of illicit drug use.
“We all know the effects of hard drugs in our society. The purpose of this committee is to drastically reduce the sale, distribution, and use of illicit drugs in Kogi State. Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s administration is determined to ensure the state is not a safe haven for drug dealers or users,” she said.
Ayoade urged members of the State Drug Control Committee (SDCC) to work as a team and hold regular meetings to achieve their objectives, stressing that their success would help create a safer and more stable society.
The committee includes representatives from the NDLEA, ministries of Health, Education, Information and Communications, Youth and Sports, Women Affairs, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Humanitarian Affairs, traditional rulers, local government chairmen, youth associations, pharmaceutical bodies, NGOs, CSOs, and faith-based organisations.
Responding on behalf of the committee, NDLEA Kogi Commander Umar Mustapha Yahuza, who co-chairs the SDCC with the governor’s wife, Hajia Sefinat Usman Ododo, assured the government of their commitment to work around the clock to meet the objectives of the NDCMP.
He thanked Ododo for reviving the committee and pledged to deliver results that would curb drug abuse across the state.