Adeolu Adeyemo, Author at Tribune Online

The administration of Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke on Tuesday noted that, parental care is one of the factors that could discourage children from drugs abuse. The governor who made the remark while flagging off, "IMole War Against Drug Abuse" (IWADA), comprising of some public schools of Boluwaduro, Ila-Orangun and Ifedayo local governments of Osun Central Senatorial district of the state, assured that his administration would work round the clock to ensure that the issue of drug abuse is urgently tackled in the state. Flagging off IWADA on behalf of the governor, the Commissioner for Federal Affairs, Mrs. Adenike Adeleke, at the event held at Igbonnibi High School, Ila-Orangun where other school representatives emerged, encouraged parents to build a good relationship with their children by making them their talking friends for cordial understanding. According to her, if a cemented relationship exists between them, this would encourage them to talk to the parents about their feelings and concerns and vice-visa. Adeleke added that this would also serve as an avenue to educate and enlighten their children about the dangers of drug abuse, including physical, emotional, and legal consequences and assist them to discover their passions and interests for a sense of direction and purpose. The Commissioner for Federal Affairs, who further sought teachers' cooperation in educating their students against drug abuse, said ,it's effects on students could be physical or mental. According to her, drug abuse can result in permanent physical and mental damage and reduce life expectancy of the students, appealing to school managers to take these students as their children, to prevent them from using substances abuse that can harm their vital organs like the liver, kidneys, and brain. She thereafter launched " IWADA CLUB", to wage war against drug abuse in public schools and to sensitise students on its effects which can separate them from social interactions that could make them to be incommunicado. The Commissioner therefore, described teachers' roles in re-modelling students' lives as indispensable and charged them to, in the name of God, work towards discouraging their students from drug abuse. In his own remark at the occasion, the Ministry Permanent Secretary, Mr Adelani Aderinola, frowned at the spate of students' drug abuse in Nigerian schools and commended the state government under the leadership of Governor Ademola Adeleke for setting out with this "IWADA" programme, to reduce the menace in OSUN public schools. He described the program as a solution to drug abuse, as it would educate, inform, and enlighten students about the effects of addiction. He believed that this knowledge could help them make better choices. The Permanent Secretary, who spoke out against drug abuse, urged students to focus on their studies and avoid negative influences and peer pressure that could lead them into destructive behaviors that could ruin their lives. Mr. Aderinola encouraged students to take their academic pursuits seriously in order to become self-reliant and productive individuals who contribute positively to their communities. In her lecture, Mrs. Toyin Adegoke, Assistant State Commander of the NDLEA, also advised students to avoid drug abuse in order to lead better lives in society. READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE