Group sensitises Abuja residents on dangers of drug abuse, illicit trafficking
08 November 2022 |
3:09 am
A Non-Profit organisation, Drug Free World Africa (DFWA), has taken to the streets of Abuja, to sensitise Nigerians on dangers of drug abuse and illicit trafficking in the country.
Drug abuse. PHOTO: BBC
A Non-Profit organisation, Drug Free World Africa (DFWA), has taken to the streets of Abuja, to sensitise Nigerians on dangers of drug abuse and illicit trafficking in the country.
They included children, men and women, who marched through Utako market and ended at Jabi lake, saying that Nigeria needs to be safe from drug abuse.
Speaking during the walk, Executive-Director, DFWA, Dr. Lina Okereke, noted that DFWA has headquarters in 23 states with its coordinates to fight against drug abuse.
She said that the most recent campaign against drug abuse by DFWA in Imo State attracted about 10,000 participants, including school children, while the highlight was renouncement of about 1,650 hard drug users.
She said: “Nigeria is highly ranked as a global issue militating against peace, order and national stability. The hallucinating power of drug users on abusers makes them act under the influence of being above the jurisdiction of our legal system and framework.
“The Nigeria Dangerous Drugs Act enacted in 1935 was the first indigenous drug law but between this time and present day Nigeria, species and quantity of drugs in circulation have changed much from what it used to be, normally limited to tobacco, kolanut, and alcohol.”
In his remarks, the Officer Sensitisation at National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Gbenga Owonubi, urged Nigerians to report cases of drug abuse and human trafficking to responsible agencies, adding that all hands most be on desk to sensitise the public on effects of drug abuse.
In his address, the Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Nanah Opiah, who was represented by his Special Assistant on security ,strategy and public relations, Bishop Johnson, commended DFWA for educating Nigerians on the dangers of drug abuse.
According to him, drug abuse and illicit trafficking are of national security concerns, which need such awareness programmes like what the group is doing to save the country.
He said: “We would always have an open door policy for anyone that has any kind of initiative that will help reduce drug abuse, particularly as it relates to our educational institutions.
“So, our doors are always open for any organisation that would want to collaborate with the ministry. There is no better way to tackle abuse of drugs than taking the message to the people for them to understand the dangers to themselves, community and family.”
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