The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has declared that out of every four drug abuse persons in the country, one is a female.
The NDLEA/chief executive officer, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (rtd), made the disclosure in Benin City, capital of Edo State, on Thursday, at the second edition of Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament (BOWFT) with the theme: “Say No to Drugs”.
Marwa, who was represented by his special adviser, Otunba Lanre Ipinmisho, noted that focus on the girl-child and young women was strategic in the effort to curb the rising trend of drug abuse among Nigerians.
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According to him, a national survey currently carried out had shown that 14.3 million Nigerians, most of them overwhelmingly youths, abused drugs, adding that the country had an exceptionally high drug prevalence of 14.4 per cent.
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, while declaring the programme open, noted that the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had heightened the cases of drug abuse in the state.
The governor noted that a study conducted in the state had shown that drug abuse had assumed a new dimension and, second to kidnapping in the rating of social vices.
According to him, drug abuse is a crisis that the state has taken upon to make the call for collective action to tackle.
“It is a crisis, not only here, but also globally. This is why we have taken it upon ourselves to make the call for collective action among different stakeholders to forge a common font to tackle the issue of drug abuse.
“The adverse effects of drug abuse have robbed many youths of their lives, condemning them to a life dependent on drugs.
“This limits their abilities to properly function in our society and deprives the society of the much-needed human capital to drive productivity and economic growth.
“In sports, drug abuse has remained a course for concern with athletes losing individual and group medals and honours as a result of drug-related offences.
“It is a global issue that has continued to play into our sporting competition.”
He, however, advocated more support for the NDLEA to tackle the incidence of drug abuse in the state, just as he assured that the state was willing, ready and prepare to work with the agency and deploy as many resources as required to combat the menace.
Given the severity of the situation, he said Nigeria needed to move away from old ways of tackling drug issues and adopt new measures that were effective and would deliver lasting gains.
In a goodwill message, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, who spoke on behalf of the Nigerian Governors’ Wives Forum lauded the organiser for the initiative.
Speaking earlier, Mrs Betsy Obaseki, chairman of the organising committee and First Lady of Edo said the tournament was conceived to discourage women and girls from embarking on illegal migration.
The platform, she said was to prove that women could earn their dollars at home if building a career in football.
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