Ebonyi Federal Lawmaker Joins Advocacy Against Drugs Abuse Among Youth

BY NDUBUISI NWOGHA, ABAKALIKI The youth among men and women numbering over two hundred from Izzi/Abakaliki federal constituency were on Friday 25th February, 2022 charged to shun the abuse of drugs.

The national assembly member representing Izzi/Abakaliki federal constituency, Rt Hon Sylvester Ogbaga gave the advise during the one-day advocacy sensitization programme against drugs abuse held in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state capital. Chief Ogbaga who was represented at the event by Senior Lecturer in Ebonyi State University in the department of Mathematics, Dr. Friday Adum noted that the essence of the sensitization is to curb the uneccessary intake of hard drugs most among the youths.

The one day programme which titled "advocacy and awareness programme against the use of Narcotic drugs in Abakaliki/ Izzi Federal Constituency" aimed at adequately sensitizing youths and women numbering over 200 of the constituency, selected from different wards to champion the course against the use of hard drugs/ substances with the emphasis on methamphetamine otherwise known as (mkpuru-mmiri) among other hard drugs. He challenged the youths to abstain totally from taking any form of hard drug but engage themselves meaningfully, attributing excessive intake of such illicit drugs to poor parental care while calling on the parents to rise to their responsibilities by giving proper home training to their children from their adolescent stage to fight drug addiction among youths in the society and also for the betterment of their lives.

The National Directorate of Law Enforcement Agency,NDLEA, Mrs Ngozi Mmadubuike during her speech presentation, said there is prevalent of drug abuse in the Country, describing the abuse of drug as the most dangerous situation which has eaten deep in the life of Nigeria youths. She highlighted some of the different substances that connotes drug abuse to include cannabis, marijuana, excessive consumption of alcohol and cigarette among others. She cited consequences of drug abuse in both physically, psychological and socially to brain damage, liver damage, hypertension, heart beat, premature death, depression, armed robbery and many more, noting that all hands must be on deck to checkmate the ugly practices in the Country. The representatives of the Nigeria Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps and State Security Service, commended the lawmaker for taking such bold step and urged him not to relent in fighting against the menace. They advocated that such orientation and sensitization should be carried out time to time especially in the churches, schools, markets and every public gathering to reduce intake of those illicit drugs to the barest minimum and called on commercial drivers, tricyclists and motorcyclists to avoid abusing drugs while operating on the road to reduce incidences of road crash while urging other political office holders to emulate from the lawmaker to enhance free abuse of drugs in their localities. The Secretary to the lawmaker Mr. Albert Oketa said it has become the priority of his boss to embark on such exercise noting that his principal loves investing in humanity. He added that the Federal Lawmaker had before now organized a seminar against child abuse and child trafficking among others and enjoined the trainees to carry out the exercise properly to attain the set objectives.