An NGO, Eye Opener Foundation, has appealed for support from communities in fighting endemic drug abuse among youth in the country.
The foundation’s President, Mrs Magret Julius made the appeal on Saturday during a community dialogue meeting on drug abuse and addiction held in Makera, Kaduna.
Julius said communities must strive to channel the energies of the youth to useful activities in order to shield them from deviant behaviours including drug abuse.
According to her, so many youths are already victims of drugs abuse and require support to get out of the habit.
She said the foundation is determined to offer such support to the youth in order to make them useful to themselves and society.
“Our fight is a good fight because we are not fighting the victims but the epidemic.
“The Eye-Opener Foundation, by the special grace of God, will clear out this epidemic within two years in any community that give us full support.”
According to her, the foundation has ten strategic ongoing programmes to save the youth against all forms of deviant behaviours including use of illicit drugs.
Julius noted that drug abuse and addiction have become an epidemic in the country and portend danger to the security of lives and properties.
“That means we cannot predict the future of a community state or nation, looking at this common activity of the youths.”
Dr Joseph Maigari, Kaduna State Director, Bureau for Substance Abuse, Prevention and Treatment, said the state government is taking steps to address the problem with an emphasis on prevention.
“Prevention is better than cure. Most of our interventions are more on disrupting the supplies in terms of people who bring such substance.
“We are also trying to educate people so that they won’t even start taking those substances.”
He said the government is also establishing four drug rehabilitation centres across the state to cater to those already into drugs abuse.
The director said it was important to address the menace holistically including offering psychological and social support to victims.
Dr Ibrahim Baba of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLE), Kaduna command said, though the issue of drugs abuse cannot be pin down to one particular thing, ignorance of its debilitating impact contributed a lot to the problem.
“If somebody is fully aware of the dangers of drug abuse they may not get involve in it.”
Two traditional leaders, Malam Khalid Idris and Alhaji Lawal Magaji attributed drug abuse largely to lack of proper upbringing.
They called on parents to rise up to their responsibilities by ensuring that they monitor the kind of friends their children relate with.
They also called on security agencies to track, arrest and prosecute drug peddlers in order to block the supply chain.
Mr Elisha Maman, the Convener of Winning Mindset, said joblessness contribute to drug addiction and called for the engagement of the youth in life-sustaining skills.
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