By Francis Sadhere, Warri
Experts have blamed parents, teachers, and government for the rate at which children abuse drugs and other substances in our society.
This resolution was reached at the first round table discussion on Campaign Against Drug Abuse and Bad Habit (CADABH) organized by the National Orientation Agency in conjunction with the Foundation For Development and Community Engagement ( FDCE) held in Warri, yesterday.
Experts who spoke during the round table discussion said all hands must be on deck to address the issue of drug abuse, adding that for the scourge to be tackled parents, teachers and the government must play their roles.
Principal Staff Officers, (Drug Demand Reduction Department), National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Mr. Samuel Campbell during his presentation highlighted the role of the NDLEA, saying that the agency canl only arrest those who abuse drugs and not those who abuse other substances.
He said drug abuse is a well known problem in the society, advising that parents to monitor their children and not should leave the responsibility of taking of them to a third party.
On his part, the Director, National Orientation Agency, Mr Omorighoye Ivan, said the only solution to this menace is for the youths to wake up from slumber and start thinking positively, adding that the youths should good virtues by using their minds to plug out these vices.
He said, “All hands must be on deck, all security agencies must be on alert. Health workers must put in extra efforts to nip this menace in the bud. Our organizations saddled with inculcating values eg, discipline, integrity, hard work, social justice, patriotism, self reliance and religious tolerance should raise this awareness to our youths.
Mrs, Omiwade Olukemi, Supervisor, Health Education Nurse, Chevron, in her presentation said every family has one person who is abusing drugs or other harmful substances, stressing that most youths go into drugs because of parental deprivation, poverty, homelessness, depression and lack of ownership.
On his part, Mr Yakubu Hassan, Pharmacist, Chevron, talked about other harmful substances, apart from the popular ones that the youths are taking to get high.
After series of brainstorming, the Coordinator FDCE, Barrister Robinson Ariyo assured participants that a working document will be formulated and a committee set up to look at the strategy that will be used for effective advocacy on the dangers of drug abuse.
