The Nigeria Governors’ Spouses Forum (NGSF) has said that the success of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA )’s ongoing efforts against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking will lead to the actualisation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
This is part of the resolutions at the end of a training workshop organised by the NDLEA in collaboration with the NGSF in Abuja.
While reading the communique by the first lady of Ogun State, Mrs. Bamidele Dapo Abiodun, on behalf of the chairperson of the forum and first lady of Kwara State, Prof (Mrs.) Olufolake Abdulrasaq, the governor’s wife, said, “Recalling the importance that successfully tackling the drug scourge will remarkably ensure that the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President is achievable for holistic national development required to birth a Nigeria of our collective dreams”
The forum expressed concern “that Nigeria presently faces an alarming drug use situation, which has heavily pervaded every sphere and strata of communities and consequently endangering the wellbeing and security of individuals, families and communities within the country.”
It reiterated that states are critical stakeholders in addressing national drug challenges by implementing localised strategies, fostering cross-sector collaboration, aligning with internal frameworks, responding to community needs, and contributing to coordinated national responses.
The forum endorsed the “outstanding efforts of NDLEA under the leadership of Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa against drug use and trafficking with phenomenal national and global success records in the areas of arrests and seizures, prosecutions and convictions, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation, among others.”
In its resolutions, the forum acknowledged “with urgency the need for the first ladies to use their good offices to liaise with the State Governors in facilitating the establishment, of State Drug Control Committees (SDCCs) in the thirty-six states of the country, beyond the nine functional committees currently in existence.”
It said the laudable partnership between NDLEA and the NGSF has yielded significant dividends and achieved notable milestones over time, adding that “urgent concerted and pragmatic efforts are required considering the complex public health issues and security challenges the country is witnessing, which is fuelled largely by the use of drugs.”
The forum called on the federal government and governors to declare a state of emergency on drug use and the illicit trafficking pandemic.
