Sharon Osaji
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has called on traditional rulers, religious and community leaders to support the agency in the fight against drug abuse in their various spheres of influence.
The Chairman of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Marwa (retd.) made the call while speaking at the palace of the Igumale Community monarch in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State and reiterated the call in Otukpo Community also in the state, according to a statement by the agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Tuesday.
He challenged the community and religious leaders to champion the campaign against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in their communities
Marwa during the foundation laying ceremony and the unveiling of a 20-kilometre road facilitated by the member representing Ado-Ogbadigbo-Okpokwu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Narcotic Drugs, Francis Agbo, hailed the lawmaker for his role in the fight against drug abuse.
Marwa said, “Both developments are signs of the importance of this community and local government to Nigeria’s welfare and also a testament that communities in this corner of the country are not left out of the dividends of democracy by its leaders.
“At the same time, he has also been one of the key drivers of the amendment of the NDLEA Act which we are hopeful will be passed by the National Assembly before the end of the tenure of the ninth Assembly. Even as he worked on the national stage, he also remains an embodiment of the saying that ‘charity begins at home’.
Admonishing the community, Marwa said “I will also want to use this opportunity to appeal to the good people of this constituency to do their utmost to ensure we keep our communities clean of illicit drugs. Keeping Nigeria safe from dangerous substances is the mandate of NDLEA; the mandate, however, cannot be attained without the contribution of Nigerians.
“We have created a vehicle to facilitate the participation of the citizenry, which is the War Against Drug Abuse campaign. It is a social advocacy that we are going to take to every community in this country. We started in 2021 and in the past two years, we have succeeded in getting WADA to the doorsteps of our people at the grassroots.
“As we intensify the campaign this year, I enjoin every one of you to be a part of this platform for social action where all well-meaning Nigerians become stakeholders in the concerted effort to safeguard the safety and sanity of our society against the drug scourge.”
In their responses, the monarchs and other community leaders who spoke at the different ceremonies promised to support the agency to succeed in its given task while also assuring that they would work with NDLEA to rid their domains of illicit drugs.
Copyright Reportr Door
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from Reportr Door.
Contact: [email protected]
Leave a Reply