President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians to step up efforts in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking, urging support for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in its quest to combat substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
The President made the call on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Abuja, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
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President Tinubu commended the NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign launched three years ago and encouraged redoubled efforts to protect the youth from the scourge of drug abuse.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to supporting the cause, prioritizing evidence-based prevention strategies for drugs in the country.
“In the face of such a formidable challenge, prevention is the most potent weapon to deploy. Prevention not only saves lives; it also saves resources that would otherwise be spent on treatment and rehabilitation.
“The assignment before us as a country requires that we prioritise evidence-based prevention strategies, allocate adequate resources and foster partnerships for greater impact.”
In his welcome remark, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen Buba Marwa (retd), said the agency was not relenting in cutting off illicit drug supply channels and dismantling trafficking networks.
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“After all, when you cut off drug supplies, you deny users the availability and access to them, including insurgents, terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and sundry criminals who rely on drugs to foster their criminalities.
“The magnitude of our effort is reflected in the statistics of our drug supply reduction activities. We have arrested 52,901 drug traffickers, including 48 barons, in three and a half years. Over 9,000 of the suspects have been convicted in court. We have also seized over the same period 7.6 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit substances,” he said.
