The Nigeria Governors’ Spouses Forum, NGSF, has called on the Federal and State Governments to declare a state of emergency on substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the country.
The call was one of the resolutions in a communique signed by Chairperson of the Forum and First Lady of Kwara State, Ambassador Olufolake Abdulrasaq, issued at the end of a two-day Drug Prevention Treatment and Care, DPTC, training organised by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA for wives of State governors in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
While acknowledging “the urgent need to take control and reinvigorate the State Drug Control Committees (SDCC) the governors’ wives also agreed on optimal functioning for the States that have one and to also encourage States that do not have to constitute one and also increase rehabilitation programmes that would focus on holistic recovery.
Other resolutions in the communique include “the need to foster good parenting through parents teachers Associations, Community outreach programmes and to support the NDLEA Drug Integrity Testing Policy for early detection of drug users and timely intervention to prevent the progression to addiction/dependency;
“Agrees to work as a body and facilitator towards strengthening collaboration and cooperation between State governments, NDLEA and other security agencies in the fight against drug use and trafficking;
“Agrees also to support the building of at least three standard drug rehabilitation centres, one in each senatorial zone of the State to cater for drug users within the states and reduce the challenges of costs, access and stigma to drug treatment;
“Further agrees to use their good offices to liaise with the State Governors to facilitate the establishment, where no one exists, and strengthening, where it exists, of States Drug Control Committees (SDC) and appoint first ladies of States as chairs of the committees with NDLEA State Commander as the Secretary, for effective action against drug use prevalence, treatment and care.
“Adopts the Drug Abuse Prevention Treatment and Care (DPTC) programmes in States as a Forum project, and to be chaired by the first ladies of the States, to help curb the menace of drug use and foster greater access to treatment for women who use drugs by reducing to the barest minimum stigmatisation and cultural push back;
“Also adopts projects and policies that foster cooperation with private sector and civil society organisations in the development of standardised treatment centres across the States of the Federation;
“Fosters active collaboration with and providing support to, NDLEA Commands in States to embed DPTC in all their anti-drug intervention programmes; and realises the need to create skill acquisition centres and employment opportunities for young people to reduce being lured into drug use and trafficking.”
The First Ladies said their resolutions were based on their understanding of “the nexus between drug use and the heightened level of criminality, the increasing number of school dropouts, social and health issues, family problems, including violent extremism, kidnapping, banditry and terrorism and its resultant impact on the food security, the safety of lives and properties, foreign direct investment, the economy and the national security”, among others.
While commending efforts of NDLEA and the leadership of Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, (Retd) against drug use and trafficking with resounding successes in the areas of arrests and seizures, prosecutions and convictions, awareness raising, counseling and rehabilitation among others”,
The governors’ wives assured the Agency of their preparedness to take the knowledge gained during the training to their various States for further action.
In his closing remarks at the end of the training, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the First Ladies for taking time out of their busy schedules to stay two days attending the DPTC training.
He urged them not to allow lessons learned to end at the venue but to take them to their various states for implementation.
Dominica Nwabufo
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