Plateau asks NDLEA to check drug abuse

WORRIED by the rising cases of drug abuse in the country, the Plateau State Government at the weekend urged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to check the ugly trend.

Governor Jonah Jang stated this at the weekend at the workshop for state commanders of NDLEA held at the Regional Academy for Drug Control, Rikkos, Jos. He was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Pauline Tallen.

Jang told the officials that the future of this generation and those coming behind is in their hands, adding that they need to work together for the common good of the country and its people.

Sadly enough, as more and more people are being arrested for their involvement in the notorious narcotics drugs trade, so are more people turning up at the hospitals for treatments as victims of drug use and abuse. The whole country looks up to you because you are the leaders of NDLEA in all states of the federation and you cannot afford to fail this country, Jang stated.

Informing the NDLEA officials that they represent the hope of the people, the governor prayed that drug challenges be reduced to the barest so that Nigeria can redirect its resources to more productive and beneficial programmes that will positively impact on the lives of the people.

He challenged them to see the workshop as another opportunity to re-strategise and reposition the country by taking it out of the worlds drug major list.

In his speech, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, traced the cause of the illicit drug trade to demand.

According to Giade, The fact that narcotic drugs are smuggled today is because there is market, which is driven by demand. If there is no demand for drugs, the global drug trade will collapse, as both the traffickers and producers will naturally quit the obnoxious trade.

Giade said the focal point of the meeting therefore is to identify the predisposing factors to the illegal demand for drugs and also proffer enduring solutions to the perennial problem.

He stated that people must know the damage and harm that drugs are capable of causing.

They must appreciate the reality that the drugs they cultivate, produce and traffic have made many become insane. It is also causing severe health problems and premature death to millions of unfortunate victims across the globe, he said.