Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), has urged the President Bola Tinubu-led government to declare a state of emergency on drug abuse.
Marwa made the call while charging Nigerian elites to key into the whole-of-society strategy by the NDLEA to curb the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the country.
In his keynote address at the Island Club Business Forum in Lagos, yesterday, he insisted that the challenges of drug abuse can be significantly mitigated.
He said: “This is not a challenge for the government alone. All of us are stakeholders on this issue, and it is an assignment for all Nigerians. The standard whole-of-society approach to the drug issue is such that everyone is a stakeholder. The future of Nigeria belongs to us all.
“As we are doing our bit at NDLEA, we expect society to complement our efforts by taking a huge role in preventing the young ones from falling into situations that encourage experimentation with drugs, whether licit or illicit. Every one of us has a role to play, and the simplest role is one of advocacy. By spreading the message, we can all become anti-drug abuse advocates. Spreading the word about the dangers of misuse of drugs can go a long way in shielding more lives from the ruins of illicit drugs. The Island Club can also join in this effort to safeguard the wellbeing of our society from the drug menace”.
He told the gathering of business leaders, students, and parents that since the retooling of NDLEA three years ago after he assumed leadership, the agency has ramped up its drug demand and supply reduction efforts, leading to significant results, adding that the call for everyone to support the ongoing effort has become imperative because of the forecast by UNODC in the 2021 World Drug Report that drug use in Africa would rise by 40 per cent in Year 2030, especially among those within 25-29 and 30-34 age groups, as a result of population growth.
“By and large, the outlook of the future will depend on our action or inaction at curbing the drug abuse trend. I, being an optimist, believe the future favours Nigeria, only if we get the matrix right. A lot has been said about the future belonging to Africa. Indeed, the potential is glaring when you factor in the continent’s burgeoning youth population, the digital aptitude of the younger generation, and the entrepreneurial spirit of young people.
“But a lot of work has to go into making that vision. If we read the statistics correctly, the world’s biggest drug problem of the future could be in Africa.
So, the future could be bright or bleak; it could be one of boom or gloom; it could be decades of prosperity or problems depending on the amount of work we are willing to do today. Tomorrow, the saying goes, belongs to the people who prepare for it today”, he said.
Other invited guests who spoke on the menace of drug abuse at the forum include, a consultant psychiatrist, Prof. Harry Ladapo and the President of Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy, Prof. Lere Baale.
In his welcome remarks, Chairman of the Island Club, Omoba Rotimi Martins, acknowledged Marwa’s unwavering commitment to combating drug abuse, adding that his wealth of experience in tackling this scourge inspires us all.
