President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed support for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in its fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking as well as its ramped-up efforts to prevent the populace from falling prey to the drug scourge. The President gave the assurance on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, otherwise known as World Drug Day on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at the State House Conference Centre Abuja. Speaking on the theme of the day, which was, “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention,” President Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, said, “I enjoin all and sundry to support the War Against Drug Abuse initiative, otherwise known as the WADA campaign, launched by NDLEA three years ago. “I commend and urge everyone to redouble their efforts to combat drug abuse and trafficking in the country. On this score, I wish to reassure you of this administration’s support. The Renewed Hope Agenda places the youth at the centre of its focus. Therefore, we ensure that our young people are protected from anything that could derail their future or destroy their potential.” While noting that illicit drugs and substances have wreaked havoc on individuals, families, communities and countries worldwide, the President said, “In the face of such a formidable challenge, prevention is the most potent weapon that we can deploy. Prevention not only saves lives; it also saves resources that would otherwise be spent on treatment and rehabilitation. It empowers individuals to make informed choices, promotes healthy lifestyles and creates resilient communities capable of withstanding the pressures of drug abuse. “Investing in prevention is not merely a moral imperative, a prudent way of safeguarding our future. By allocating resources towards evidence-based prevention programmes, we can break the vicious cycle of drug abuse and protect our youth from falling prey to the menace.” “This government will support NDLEA to build on the success recorded in the past few years. We shall work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that we have positive statistics from the next national drug use survey that will be conducted in the country.” In his welcome remark, Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said that the ‘Save Our Families’ social advocacy campaign launched at the ceremony by the President, is designed to prevent and tackle drug use through early detection and intervention by making the agency’s newly produced special drug test kits a necessity in every home, schools and workplaces. He said, “The agency has introduced the Drug Integrity Test initiative anticipated to metamorphose into an anti-drug culture for every Nigerian. The test is intended for secondary school students, students seeking admission into tertiary institutions and returning students, workers in government and private offices and individuals seeking political offices as well as prospective couples before taking their marriage vows. The drug test will serve as a tool for the prevention of drug use and early detection of the individual’s status of drug use for the purpose of appropriate intervention including treatment and rehabilitation. Let me also add that our drug integrity test, which has been adopted by some government institutions and tertiary institutions in the country, is a preventive mechanism. “As a result, we have produced tens of thousands of special test kits capable of detecting 15 different substances, now available in all our commands across the country. This is for use in homes, schools, workplaces and others. Apart from helping in early detection of drug abuse especially by our youths so that we can get them help in the form of treatment, this will also create some deterrence effects.” Speaking on the theme for this year’s World Drug Day, Marwa said drug abuse prevention lies at the heart of NDLEA’s strategy in addressing the drug problem because it is far more effective and cost-efficient to prevent drug abuse than to deal with its consequences. He said apart from the various plans and initiatives deployed as preventive measures against the availability and access of illicit substances as well as their abuse by citizens, the agency has been providing counselling and treatment for people struggling with drug dependence across 30 of its treatment and counselling centres nationwide where 33, 453 drug users had been treated in three and a half years. The outgoing UNODC Country Representative, Dr. Oliver Stolpe, also made some recommendations. He said, “Most importantly, there is an urgent need to repeat the 2018 national drug use survey. Without up-to-date data, there is no way in which we can assess whether our collective efforts have long-term impact and address the actual priorities.”
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