Chairman of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Muhammed Marwa, has said that his administration will prioritize in eliminating drug use from families, street, communities, public place and Nigeria as a whole.
The Chairman who disclosed this in Abuja at the agency’s headquarters during the inauguration of the Special Purpose Committee of the NDLEA, charged the committee with responsibility of involving the society in the fight against drug abuse.
The committee consisting of academic, civil society practitioners in drug rehabilitation, medical professionals, youth, women groups representatives, media, public advocacy groups and religious bodies were inaugurated as an internal body with the NDLEA on need to involve all Nigerians in the fight because of the great danger the problem of drug abuse poses to society and the country at large.
According to the former military administrator of Lagos State, “The use of drugs in Nigeria today is at an epidemic proportion of approximately 15million, nearly three times global prevalence. No wonder so much criminality everywhere in our land and it is increasing instead of abating with such symptoms as kidnapping, insurgency, banditry, rape, and assassinations. Behind it all is drug use. Criminals now ask for ransom in drugs and unless we get to the root cause, we will only be scratching the surface, and the criminalities will continue to flourish.
“Unfortunately drug use does not show in the face, but we all know somebody or someone who knows somebody doing drugs and that is why we all need to come together as Nigerians to fight the menace.”
