Traditional Ruler laments Proliferation of Illicit Drugs among Youths

The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, has lamented the proliferation of illicit drugs among the youths and adults in the country as he urged the National Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), to remain up and doing in tackling the problem that is becoming cancerous.

The traditional ruler expressed the worry during the familiarisation visit of the Oyo State Command of the NDLEA led by its Commander, Olayinka Fadile, to the monarch in his Alarere, Ibadan residence.

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Olubadan, who was decorated as an Ambassador of War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) by Commander Fadile during the visit, said the entire Traditional Council of Ibadan was worried about the unpleasant situation in the various community compounds in the hinterland, where boys and girls now take pride in drug abuse without hindrance, asking the agency to check the situation.

Speaking through his Bobajiro, Chief Tajudeen Aremu, the Olubadan told his guest that, “On our part, we won’t relent drumming it into their ears the dangers inherent in the crime, but, we want more from your agency, especially through the deployment of your intelligence gathering unit.

“We assure you of our cooperation and collaboration to stem the ugly tide. At the palace level, we are in constant touch with the mogajis and baales on the need to monitor their respective areas and ensure that all manner of crimes are exposed for proper sanction,” the monarch stated.

He promised that the Traditional Council would not relent in the fighr against illicit drugs, saying making him an Ambassador of the NDLEA advocacy campaign is a welcome responsibility which he said would permeate the entire traditional system.

The guest, Commander Fadile, who disclosed that he assumed duty in Ibadan a few months ago, said the visit was to strengthen the existing relationship between the agency and the palace as the task before the command is challenging and cannot be done alone without the involvement of communities and community leaders.

Fadile said, “The agency is worried about the rate at which our youths abuse drugs. They have graduated from hemp smoking to others and more dangerous synthetic drugs that are now manufactured under various names like kolos, loud, and all sorts of other names too numerous to mention, making the future to look bleak for our youths, if care is not taken.

“It is for this reason that we are engaging all the critical stakeholders like Your Imperial Majesty, with the conviction that with your support, we will succeed. This was part of what led to the WADA, the initiative of our Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) and for which Your Imperial Majesty is now being made an Ambassador,” he explained.

The Commander revealed that the initiative is an advocacy campaign in which ambassadors are expected to set up coordinated anti-drug programmes and committees across communities, to create awareness that would spread through the society, with anti-drug culture.

He stated, “We are counting on Your Imperial Majesty, as our ambassador, to help create drug awareness activities that will suffuse society with offensive actions against drug activities.”

Fadile also expressed optimism that the efforts would positively impact the general well-being of the citizenry and the image of the country, leading to creation and maintenance of a positive image for communities and Nigeria as a whole.