The Nigeria First Lady and wife of the President of Nigeria, Mrs. Aisha Buhari has called on the healthcare practitioners in the country to collaborate with one another in order to tackle the scourge of drug abuse in the country.
Mrs Buhari made this call recently while speaking on the topic: “Sustainable Approach to Eradication of Drug and Substance Abuse in Nigeria,” at a symposium organized by the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPHARM), held recently at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
The President’s wife who was represented at the occasion by Chief (Mrs.) Moji Tejuosho said a recent survey reveals that a considerable number of Nigerians including some old people engage in the act of drug abuse.
Her words: “According to the result of the survey released February this year, it was stated that 14.4 percent of Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 used one drug or another in 2016.
“With this survey report, it means some 14.4 million people who make up the livewire of our workforce as a nation; fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, are affected. We really need to look around and see the devastation caused by drugs. Hundreds of thousands of our children are battling with drug addiction, which makes them burdens to themselves and to the society”, she noted.
The First Lady hinted that the presidency had inaugurated the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse (PACEDA), headed by Gen. Buba Marwa { Rtd}, adding that there is urgent need for a robust, permanent and effective solution to the menace.
In his remarks, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said the academy has written its name in gold for blazing the trail by taking the menace headlong.
According to him, the state has been at the forefront of campaigns against the dreadful act, adding that the state has successfully launched an agency called Lagos State Kick Against Drug Abuse (LASKADA), to declare war against drug abuse in the state.
Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Lagos State, Dr (Mrs.) Titi Gonzalez, added the state government has vowed not to fold its arms and allow the unhealthy practice to create a blurry future for the country.
“For the effort to yield meaningful results, everybody should be involved: clerics, royal fathers, parents and even youths themselves should be ready to collaborate and work with government to rid our society of the menace,” he urged.
The Governor therefore commended the academy for the successful execution of the programme, adding that history will forever remember it for its efforts in fighting the problem headlong.
