Gov Otti’s wife seeks urgent action against drug abuse

The wife of the Governor of Abia, Mrs Priscilla Chidinma Otti, as the lead of the Abia State Drug Control Committee has called for urgent action against drug abuse in the State.

Mrs. Otti made this call after attending a two-day Drug Prevention Treatment and Care, DPTC training organized by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA for Governors’ Wives in Abuja, where they were charged with the need to lead the State Drug Control Committees.

Speaking to newsmen immediately after the event, Mrs Priscila Otti, disclosed that part of their resolve was a call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the rampant issue of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.

The Abia first lady emphasized the urgent need for the government at all levels to allocate resources to combat the widespread problem of drug abuse considering the rate of its surge, informed that part of what they were charged to do was to chair the State Drug Control Committee to enhance their effectiveness in implementing rehabilitation programs aimed at achieving holistic recovery and addressing both the physical and mental health aspects of drug addiction, along with harm reduction strategies.

She however, promised to establish and chair the State Drug Control Committee at the state and local government levels with relevant stakeholders and outlined her plans for community outreach initiatives to support the NDLEA’s Drug Integrity Testing Policy aimed at early detection of drug users and timely intervention to prevent addiction progression.

Additionally, she pledged the full support of the Abia State Government, led by Alex Otti, in fostering collaboration between NDLEA and other security agencies to combat drug use and trafficking, stating “we will establish a dedicated channel through which we can scale up gender responsive drug demand reduction and treatment interventions among female drug users who despite high prevalence of drug use have very low rate of accessing treatment”.

Mrs. Otti commended the dedication of the First Lady and wife of the President, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu to the welfare of Nigeria women, and applauded the efforts of the NDLEA, under the leadership of Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) in addressing the scourge of drug abuse and trafficking through initiatives such as the workshop.

Priscilla Otti was among the first ladies awarded and decorated as Ambassadors for the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA by the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Muhammad Buba Marwa (Rtd.).