In an effort at reducing drug abuse and trafficking, Oyo State government has pledged to support the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) towards curbing the menace of illicit drug use and peddling in the State.
This was disclosed on Tuesday in Ibadan by the State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Hon. Wasiu Olatunbosun when a delegation from NDLEA paid him a courtesy visit at his office.
Olatunbosun hinted that the agency has done so much to enlighten citizens on the dangers of drug abuse and indiscriminate use which had led to high rate of mental disorder and broken homes, adding that the State would give necessary impetus to the anti-drug campaign embarked upon by the federal agency by using media platforms available in the State for advocacy against drug abuse and illegal drug peddling.
“We appreciate the efforts of NDLEA in curbing the menace of illicit drug abuse and peddling in our country, if you visit our motor parks within Ibadan and popular areas, you will see the effects of these drugs on our youths.
“They are either introduced to drug use by reasons of peer group pressure or societal influence, listen to the kinds of music our youths listen to, these are the major contributing factors and we are poised to join hands with NDLEA in eradicating the social scourge caused by drug abuse and illegal peddling of the banned commodities.
“From our end, we shall be partnering with you to enlighten the public on the dangers posed by drug abuse and other dangerous trends that our youths get involved in through the social media and the music industry,” he said.
The leader of the visiting team, Barrister Josephine Ruth Obi solicited the support of the Ministry in the area of publicity of the activities and programmes of the agency to reduce the scourge and menace of drug trafficking and abuse.
She commended the State government’s efforts at reducing poverty and youths’ unrest by paying special interest to agriculture and its welfare programmes, especially in education, that has kept many school-going youths out of the street and out of the reach of illicit drug peddlers.
