NDLEA BOSS URGES NIGERIANS TO PROTECT YOUTHS AGAINST DRUG ABUSE

Lagos -- The Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ), Alhaji Bello Lafiaji has appealed to Nigerians to take very urgent steps towards insuring the Nigerian youths against the raging menace of illicit drug trafficking and abuse.

Alhaji Lafiaji who made the appeal in Abuja at the grand finale of the week long series of activities marking 2004 United Nations International Day Against Illicit Trafficking And Drug Abuse said the youths have remained the most vulnerable age group and that the need to insure them is hinged on the fact that only youths with healthy bodies and sound minds can fulfil their expected responsibility of building a strong and virile nation.

The chairman who lauded the choice of this year's commemoration theme 'Drugs: Treatment Works' decried the haplessleness being experienced by drug dependent persons and their unwillingness to go for treatment and low levels of belief in the effectiveness of treatment, all of which he said, have combined to make treatment of drug dependent persons difficult.

The NDLEA boss who was represented at the event by the Director-General/Secretary of the agency, Mr.  Dave Ashang admonished all and called on all and sundry to contribute their quota to the drug war and not to be in the web of the belief that the drug war is only for the NDLEA and other stakeholders alone.

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi who was the special guest of honour at the event lamented the soaring incidence of drug abuse particularly among the youths which he said results in the prevalence of admissions for mental illness in our health institutions.  This, according to him, called for great concern as it could adversely affect the future of the nation and the world in general.