Abimbola Abatta
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has called on Nigerians to join in the war against drug abuse, noting that it is not an exclusive fight of the anti-narcotics agency.
The agency disclosed this on Thursday at a sensitisation programme held at Fiwasaye Girls’ Grammar School, Akure.
The programme was co-sponsored by the Ondo State Ministry of Health and the NDLEA to educate residents on the need to join in the fight to sanitise the society of decadence and vices.
Addressing about 4,000 students of the school, Assistant Commander, (Narcotics, Drug Demand Reduction Unit), NDLEA Ondo State Command, Mrs Yetunde Jeyifous, stressed that all hands must be on deck to end the menace.
“If the war is not fought, the society will not be fit for human existence,’’ she said.
She enjoined students to get engaged in productive activities like skills acquisition and sports, rather than looking towards drug abuse.
She equally enjoined the students to shun self-medication.
“Do not eat or drink things whose content you do not know and do not leave your food or drinks unattended when you go out with friends,” she admonished.
Earlier, a member of the committee, Mrs Courage Oyeto, attributed drug abuse among teenagers to peer pressure, curiosity and parental influence.
“Drug abuse affects careers and goals. It damages vital organs of the body and it can also cause depression,” Oyeto, a pharmacist noted.
Expressing appreciation to the NDLEA and to the committee, the Principal, Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School, Mrs Temitope Ojoge, noted that the girls were well-enlightened about the need to shun hazardous substances.
She promised that the school would soon inaugurate a club to campaign against drug misuse and abuse.