…Says 14.3m Nigerians Are Victims of Drug Abuse
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) has announced the re-establishment of NAFDAC Safety Clubs in schools with a view to catching them young as well as preventing addiction and destruction.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christiana Adeyeye who lamented that an estimated 14.4 per cent or 14.3 million Nigerians are victims of drug abuse, describing the statistics as alarming.
She said NAFDAC seeks to collaborate with stakeholders on Drug Reduction Demand Programmes, such as drug abuse campaign to secondary schools to check the menace of drug abuse among young Nigerians.
She made this known during the inauguration of NAFDAC Catch Them Young Programme at the Immaculate Heart Comprehensive Senior High School, Maryland, Ikeja Lagos on Wednesday.
Adeyeye was represented at the event by NAFDAC’s Director of Narcotics & Controlled Substances, Mrs Yedunni Adenuga.
NAFDAC Director General urged members of the club to be agents of change by propagating the right virtues that can lead to behavioural change. “
“We deem it expedient to immunise our society against counterfeits by re-orientating our youths through the activities of NCSC,” she said.
Speaking further, Adeyeye said, “You are urged to to use your membership of NAFDAC’s NCSC to assist in information flow on NAFDAC regulatory activities and promote the fight against drug abuse, fake and counterfeit regulated products,” adding that NAFDAC mission is to mould a future generation that is not only empowered to be upright, but demand uprightness from others.
“The reality is that the fight against drug abuse is a fight for the future of Nigeria,” she stressed.
The NAFDAC Catch Them Young Programme is a comprehensive and coordinated intensive programme focussed on secondary schools, designed to reduce the prevalence of drug abuse among secondary school students.
She said NAFDAC Consumer Safety Club (NCSC) is one of the Agency’s special public enlightenment strategies targetting the youths in the society in its efforts to eradicate fake/substandard regulated products and enthrone a quality culture, while we employing the use of cutting edge technology to track counterfeits.
The director general of NAFDAC said, “Drug addiction can arrise from legal such as prescribed medicines and illicit drugs.”
However, she stated: “This programme is not designed to scare anyone, but to have honest conversations with you. This will help you to make informed decision with regards to illicit drug use including alcohol consumption.
Speaking on the sideline of the launch, NAFDAC director of Narcotics & Controlled Substances disclosed that the NCSC will be carried out in secondary schools across the geopolitical zones of the country, including Lagos State, the FCT, Rivers State, Kano State, Gombe State, Oyo State, Anambra State, among others.
She said the programme was flagged off in FCT, Abuja last year. “We are starting it as a pilot, so we have fixed six schools from these eight states that I have mentioned, including the FCT. So six schools per state, per geopolitical zone of the country.
“It’s taking place simultaneously and we hope that we end this pilot by the end of this quarter.”
Speaking in the same vein, the principal of Immaculate Heart Comprehensive Senior High School, Maryland, Ikeja Lagos, Bodurin Olugbenga James described the NAFDAC Catch Them Young Programme is a good programme.
“Even from its slogan, ‘No To Drugs, Yes To Life’ you can see that the awareness is there, but it’s better for us to have more of this programme in schools.”
Please follow and like us:
