Acting Clerk to the National Assembly describes NANDRUM’s inauguration of its FCT Chapter as timely, says there is bound to be an increase in substance intake by the youths and other vulnerable people who might be tools for mischief in the 2023 polls
The National Association of Nigerian Drug Monitoring (NANDRUM) is working in collaboration with the Joint National Assembly Committee on Drugs and Narcotics to combat drug abuse and the peddling of illicit drugs in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
NANDRUM is also collaborating with other relevant agencies of government, such as the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Correctional Service and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), among others, towards stamping out this societal menace.
Speaking at the National Assembly Complex during the inauguration of the association’s FCT Chapter, NANDRUM Executive Secretary, Dr Christabel Okoye explained that the association was established to join hands with the relevant agencies of the Federal Government to tackle the menace of drug abuse, illicit drug trafficking and sensitise the general public on the dangers of the scourge in the society.
She challenged parents and guardians to wake up from slumber and nip the menace of drug abuse amongst their children and wards.
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Dr Okoye also stated that part of NANDRUM’s mandate is to bring medicine dealers together in one voice and one vision, targeted at addressing the ravaging menace in society, noting that medicine dealers are also members of the Association.
She disclosed that NANDRUM had been inaugurated in Anambra, Lagos, Abia, Delta, Kano and Enugu, expressing delight that the inauguration of the FCT Chapter was a positive signal that the war against drug abuse, illicit drug trafficking and sale of government-prohibited drugs was being won by the government, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
“This is a fight for all, so we should all join hands together in achieving our goal as members of this great association. Women should sit down and take absolute care of their children. The nation is bleeding because of the menacing effects of substance abuse in the country,” she said.
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Dr Okoye commended the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics Chairman, Senator Hezekiah Dimka and his House of Representatives counterpart, Rep. Francis Ottah Agbo, for their unalloyed support over NANDRUM, noting that the politicians were unavoidably absent from the event due to the ongoing political campaigns ahead of the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly Elections in the country.
Also speaking at the inauguration, Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Sani Tambuwal, commended NANDRUM’s Executive Secretary for constituting the FCT Chapter of the Association, stressing that the initiative came timely, as there is bound to be an increase in substance intake by the youths and other vulnerable people, who might be tools for mischief in the forthcoming polls.
Commending the National Assembly Joint Committee for its support to the National Drug Law Enforcement (Agency NDLEA) and other allied agencies in tackling drug-related problems, he put a caveat that full success in the drug war could only be achieved through adequate budgetary provisions to the relevant agencies, to effectively execute their statutory functions.
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Tambuwal also suggested that loopholes in the various Acts establishing the agencies should be plugged through amendments by the National Assembly, just as he advocated adequate punitive sanctions to enable the judicial arm to apply the laws appropriately. Admitting that government agencies alone cannot fight the menace of drug abuse and trafficking, the Acting CNA urged all Nigerians to join NANDRUM in tackling the vice.
Representatives of different stakeholders, including the Police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Traditional institutions, Correctional Service, West Africa Youth Congress, among others, all commended the NANDRUM for its efforts in fighting drug-related problems in the country.
Ojochenemi Onje-James
Ojochenemi Onje-James is a research writer and journalist with years of proven footprints in areas of crime and politics. She has a M.Sc in International Relations and Strategic Studies as well as a B.Sc in Mass Communication.
