Wife of Lagos State governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, and relevant stakeholders yesterday stressed the need to prioritise the fight against substance abuse to secure the society.
They spoke at the maiden edition of the stakeholders’ meeting with the theme; ‘’Tackling Drug Abuse in Lagos’’ held at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Lagos.
The governor’s wife in her address said the meeting with all relevant stakeholders, from various walks of life to deliberate on burning issues became necessary because it is “an issue affecting our children, youths, men and women of all ages from across Lagos State.”
‘’This issue of concern is the alarming rate at which drug abuse has deeply permeated every nook and cranny of our society. Whether we want to admit it or not, this menace affects everyone directly or indirectly, as it impacts the security and safety of our state and nation…And this, of course, informed our meeting today.
‘’Sincerely, I believe that when two or more good heads come together to deliberate on critical issues of any sort, positive change is inevitable.
“We have rested on our oars for so long, and now is the time to take the bull by the horns. Now is the time to take decisive action and combine forces with the view to making a positive change in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole, as far as drug abuse is concerned.’’
Mrs. Sanwo-Olu said her initiative is based on an advocacy and awareness campaign adding that verified statistics showed that South-West Nigeria recorded higher usage of drugs than other parts of the country, saying,’’ This was contained in a report by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics and funded by the European Union.’’
She added, ‘’My office is committed to ensuring that the system is challenged, this we do by bringing all relevant stakeholders together, and that is the reason why you’ve been invited here today. Our objective is targeted at ensuring that everyone works tirelessly towards eradicating this virus that has badly eaten deep into every community, street, and family.’’
Earlier, the commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Lagos State Command, Abubakar Liman Wali, said the percentage of drug abuse in the country right now is alarming, blaming the menace on lack of support for children, unemployment, poverty, and peer group pressure.
Wali who called for collaboration and concerted efforts said the problem will be better tackled through robust engagement with the victim rather than meting out punishment.
