New Telegraph

Drug Abuse: Sanwo-Olu holds talks with experts, stakeholders

Concerned by the rising cases of illicit drugs among youths and the attendant crime rate, wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has called for a pragmatic strategy to deal with the menace, saying that urgent measures must be taken before it is too late.

 

Dr. Sanwo-Olu, who also said that at the level of the Nigerian Governors’ Wives Forum (NGWF), efforts were being made to frontally confront the menace, added that the issue of drug abuse among the youths must be looked into from a holistic point of view.

 

She spoke at a strategic meeting held at Lagos House, Ikeja, with the NDLEA and other critical stakeholders, including the Deputy Governor’s wife, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat, senior officials from the Ministries of Education, Health, Youths, and Social Development,  wives of Local Government Chairmen, Police Officers Wives Association (POWA), school principals, market women, and the Medical.

 

She said drug addic-  tion, especially among the youth, had become a worrisome menace in society that no one could pretend about its existence, adding that earlier the state began to tackle the daunting challenge for youths and the social health of the society.

 

“We are truly and deeply concerned about the increase in the rate at which the younger ones are now  getting addicted to illicit drugs, a development that brings about the need for all relevant stakeholders to embark on a campaign to fight the menace and enlighten victims on the dangers inherent in such lifestyle both now and in the future,” she said.

 

Dr Sanwo-Olu, however, pledged to work with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other critical stakeholders to reinvigorate the war against drug abuse especially in schools and in communities across the state.

 

On his part, the Commander of NDLEA, Lagos State Command, Barr. Callys Alumona, commended Dr Sanwo-Olu for convening the meeting of relevant stakeholders to advance the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), just as he said that something urgent must be done to prevent the state from becoming a gateway for illicit and dangerous drugs, both within and outside Nigeria

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