The wife of Anambra State governor, Mrs. Nonye Soludo, has reiterated her preparedness to lead from the front in the ongoing fight to beat the menace of drug abuse in the state.
Mrs. Soludo stated this when officers and men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) visited her at the Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia, Awka, the state capital.
Addressing the guests , Mrs. Soludo expressed deep concern about what she described as “scary statistics of a common menace,” and called for a more sincere and committed approach to the war against drugs, beginning from identifying the producers of the deadly substances.
She noted that though her non-governmental movement, Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo, has been leading the drug elimination campaign, there is a great need for a united response in the face of what drug abuse and its prevalence has done to the society, especially the youth.
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While promising to work closer with the agency, Mrs. Soludo advocated for a stronger community involvement in the fight and the need to follow up every case until justice is served.
Earlier in his remarks, the Anambra State Commander of the NDLEA, Mr. Daniel Onyishi, raised concerns about growing drug abuse cases in the country, with Anambra State also among states with high prevalence.
He noted that Nigeria alone has 14.4% drug abuse prevalence rate, as against the global 5.5% world prevalence rate, disclosing that in 2018 alone, the agency intercepted 3.38 tons of drugs in the state.
The NDLEA boss stated that one of the reasons for the visit was to formally welcome Mrs. Soludo as the chairperson of Anambra State Drug Control Committee, which will be an action-driven crusade that will see to the complete elimination of drug use in the state.
