NANDRUM joins in fight against drug abuse and addiction
By Abba – Eku Onyeka
The Executive Secretary (ES), National Association of Nigerian Drug Monitoring (NANDRUM), Dr (Mrs) Christabel Regan Okiye says her Association has joined in the fight to ensure that vices such as illicit drug abuse, addiction and the activities of drug barons become things of the past in Nigeria.
The ES made the disclosure when the delegates from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), led by their newly appointed Chairman, Brigadier – General Buba Marwa (Rtd) and officials of NANDRUM visited National Assembly (NASS), seeking the lawmakers’ supports for the agency to be successful in performance of its duties.
Hailing the newly appointed NDLEA Chairman in his move to rekindle the agency, by starting with a visit to the National Assembly (NASS), saying that he is an agent of development, the ES however stated: “We have been doing so many things, especially now that I have been empowered with this position of the ES of NANDRUM. Now we have organised meeting of the Chairmen of all Drug markets and the Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicines (NAPPMED). And we are talking to them.
“We have inaugurated 12-Man Committee, from state to state, that will be attached to the Commissioners of Police (CPs), that will be monitoring drugs around them; the influx and trafficking of drugs in their various states. When they make a seizure, they report to the CP, who will then take them to the appropriate authority. So all hands should be on deck to fight this evil menace.”
Responding to a question, on whether she operates soley in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mrs Christabel Okoye informed that they have already covered about eight states, promising to cover three more states next week. The ES however disclosed that by July, they would have covered rest of the states.
While presenting her matter, the NDLEA chairman appealed to the legislators to as a matter of importance and urgency use their legislative powers to come to the assistance of the agency for them to be able to deliver. He said for the agency to deliver, it needs to be given its deserved empowerment. Marwa, however, attributed the illegalities being put in place in the country to influence of drugs perpetuated by drug barons, even as he added the causes to poverty and high rate of unemployment. He said proper empowerment of the agency would be the beginning of, among others, building of reformatory centres in some areas in the country where those who have been addicted to drug will be rehabilitated.
In response, the Senate President Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan charged him on restructuring of the Agency, assuring him of the support of the upper and lower chambers of the parliament.
The House Committee Chairman on Narcotic Drugs, Hon. Francis Agbo spoke at length on the need to equip the NDLEA like its equivalents of ICPC, EFCC and others. He said to ensure that the NDLEA is well equiped for effective delivery, Agbo said that they include the Agency as benefitiaries of Police Support Fund. He said said that he was dismayed to find out that most of the equipments in use at the Agency had over time been outdated, even as he assured the Chairman of the House members’ support.
