Shehu Dankolo, Commander of Narcotics, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says fighting substance abuse is key to ensuring a sane Nigeria, calling for partnership in curbing the menace.
Dankolo stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Kaduna, on the sidelines of a two-day stakeholders’ enlightenment programme on substance abuse.
The programme has as theme; “Addressing and implementing sustainable programmes for At-Risk Children and Young Adults.”
NAN reports that the programme seeks to address child vulnerabilities and reduce multidimensional poverty.
The Commander, who is attached to the Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), stressed the need to sensitise the public, regardless of age, on dangers of substance abuse.
“If the issue of substance abuse is not tackled, everything we are doing is useless. The world now is coming to realisation that for you to succeed in any sector, the issue of drug use must be tackled,” he said.
He decried the increasing number of substance abusers in the country, adding that Nigeria was taking the lead in this regard.
He listed ignorance, frustration and bad company, among others, as some of the factors that cause many people to abuse drugs.
Dankolo appealed to the Federal Government to emulate Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, which had banned the importation of energy drinks into their countries, and consider doing same because of the rate at which Nigerians were abusing such drinks and other substances.
The commander called for joint efforts between government, NGOs, relevant stakeholders and the media, to step up sensitisation efforts on the dangers of substance abuse. (NAN)
