No fewer than over 120 persons mainly youths involved in consumption of illicit drugs have been rehabilitated and re-integrated by the FCT Administration as part of measures to conquer the menace in the Territory.
Making this disclosure, Acting Director, FCT Youth Development Department, Social Development Secretariat (SDS), Hadija Ladi Umar, said the FCTA is empowering rehabilitated youths with variety of skills in order to guard against relapsing to the menace.
Umar noted that one of the greatest problems that is bedevilling youths today is the issue of illicit drugs abuse, as out of the over 14 million Nigerians are involved in the menace, a higher percentage of that demography is among youths.
She spoke during the commemoration and enlightenment campaign against illicit drug abuse and trafficking against persons in Nyanya area of the nation’s capital city.
According to her, in the past one week, we have been engaged in a lot of activities to commemorate the day, and there is ongoing skills training on confectioneries, leather works, metal fabrication and ICT.
“Illicit drug addiction has become what actually destroys our youth. So we in the Youth Department have always put machinery in place to ensure we do the best within the available resources to us to conquer the menace.
“Now internationally, the campaign against illicit drugs addiction this year is “Share the fact”, but we added ‘Engaging the Mind while engaging the hand”, as our sub theme in the FCT.
“The sub theme is guiding our activities, that’s why we are infusing skills empowerment programme into it because beyond this broad sensitisation and advocacy campaign, we have a continuous programme in partnership with an NGO; we support them but they bring the manpower.
“When you rehabilitate someone, you detoxify the person by doing all sorts of therapy and follow up to their families and environment so that they don’t relapse to it. And reintegration is very important; that’s why we are empowering them with skills,” she said.
Strategic intervention
In a keynote address, SDS Acting Secretary, Mr. Kelvin Ike, who bemoaned the negative impact of the menace especially on youths in the society, said it calls for intensive collective strategic intervention.
Ike therefore reiterated FCTA’s resolve to eradicate the menace through continuous comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration of illicit drugs addicts in the Territory.
He added that the Secretariat through its Youth Department would not relent on intensive sensitisation and advocacy campaign as well as continuous youth empowerment initiatives aimed at tackling illicit drugs abuse and issues affecting youths in the Territory.
Nneka Ukachukwu
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