President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, vowed to sustain the fight against drug abuse in Nigeria, noting that winning the war remains critical to his administration’s Next Level agenda for the country.
Receiving the report of the Gen. Buba Marwa-led Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse, (PACEDA) in the State House, President Buhari reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to the welfare of the citizenry by fighting the scourge of drug abuse.
“Winning the war becomes one of the critical elements of the Next Level mandate of this administration. As a government, we have the responsibility to ensure the security and wellbeing of our people.
“Our findings have shown that it is more difficult to bring down crime rate to acceptable levels without clearing our country of substances abuse,” the President said.
Buhari, however, solicited for the cooperation of all and sundry given the enormity of the menace. He called on all well-meaning Nigerians and international partners to join hands with relevant government agencies in the fight against drug abuse.
While thanking the committee for its timely and diligent prosecution of the assignment, the President said the matter was of utmost importance, and the report would be studied along with the recommendations.
Earlier, Marwa told the President that after the committee was inaugurated in December 2018, it interfaced with a wide spectrum of stakeholders including Ministries, Departments and Agencies, non-governmental organisations, Civil Society Organisations, faith-based organisations, professional bodies, international partners and members of drug user communities with their parents, teachers and care givers.
He added that the assignment, which took members to all the geopolitical zones of the country, confirmed the fears of the President that Nigeria had a very strong drug problem that needed to be tackled as a national emergency.He, however, said the key to tackling the menace is a formal launch of a War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) as part of the declaration of a state of emergency on the menace as well as the establishment of a National Drug Control Commission.
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