Tackling drug abuse: Senate and stakeholders’ choice of dwelling entrance technique 

Final week on the Senate wing of the Nationwide Meeting, dwelling entrance technique was adopted by stakeholders in opposition to drug abuse and trafficking. Taiye Odewale reviews 

Menace of drug abuse and trafficking 

Connotatively, drug abuse is a self-destructive behavior for these concerned. Such medicine like methamphetamine, amphetamines, hashish, heroin, cocaine, hallucinogens and so forth, when excessively consumed, have an effect on all organs of the physique of addicts from kidney to liver to coronary heart. 

It may well result in reminiscence loss and despair of the central nervous system apart predisposing the abusers to home and street accidents in addition to psychological dysfunction with attendant show of self-inflicted insanity within the society.

Measures in opposition to the menace 

Because the early Eighties, the necessity for federal authorities of Nigeria to place in place required legal guidelines in opposition to drug abuse, and specifically, trafficking, arose because of world community of transferring illicit substances from one nation to the opposite.

Particularly in 1984 through the navy regime headed by Main – Normal Muhammadu Buhari as Head of State, Decree 20 was promulgated to frontally confront drug trafficking inside the Nigerian shores. 

Part 3(2) (Ok) of the Decree offered that “any one that, with out lawful authority offers in, promote, smoke or inhale the drug generally known as cocaine or different comparable medicine shall be responsible below part 6(3) (Ok) of an offence and liable on conviction to undergo loss of life sentence by firing squad which the likes of Bartholomew Azubike Owoh, 26, a former worker of the Nigeria Airways, Lawal Akanni Ojuolape, 30, a spare components vendor, and Bernard Ogedengbe, 29, a sailor, paid supreme value for, in April 1985.

Although the trio have been the one ones  killed via provisions of the decree however the conflict in opposition to drug trafficking was sustained by successive governments after Muhammadu Buhari’s navy regime of January 1984 to August 1985.

The NDLEA angle 

As a consequence of the truth that the drug menace continued to rise amongst Nigerians with get-rich fast mentality, the Normal Ibrahim Babangida-led navy regime established the Nationwide Drug Regulation Enforcement Company (NDLEA) via Decree No. 48 of 1989, as an unbiased physique to struggle the menace.

Operationally, NDLEA as a federal regulation enforcement company in Nigeria is below the Federal Ministry of Justice, charged with eliminating the rising, processing, manufacturing, promoting, exporting, and trafficking of exhausting medicine. 

In finishing up its mandates, the company every now and then, beams its searchlights on attainable offenders on the worldwide airports, seaports, and border crossings in addition to on leaders of narcotics and cash laundering organisations within the nation.

Expectedly, NDLEA has since then been finishing up arrests, prosecutions and imprisonments of offenders however an increasing number of deviant residents are nonetheless getting concerned within the illicit act which made stakeholders to organise a one-day nationwide summit on finest technique to confront the menace.

The nationwide summit 

On the nationwide summit organised by the Nationwide Meeting Joint Committee on Medication and Narcotics in collaboration with Nationwide Affiliation of Nigeria Drug Monitoring, the varied stakeholders stated routine stage of the crime ought to be curbed on the dwelling entrance.

First to make the decision was the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan who in his opening deal with stated the house ought to function start line of conflict in opposition to drug abuse and trafficking within the nation.

Lawan who was represented by the Senate Deputy majority Whip, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC Niger North), stated since routine stage of the menace begins from houses, mother and father ought to be seen as  important stakeholders in conflict in opposition to drug abuse and trafficking within the nation.

Making comparable submission in his remarks, consultant of United Nations Workplace on Medication and Crime (UNODC), Mr William Wu, posited that if there’s zero tolerance for drug consumption and abuse by kids in all houses, traffickers won’t emerge within the society.

His phrases: “This summit is a proactive step by the stakeholders in curbing the crime in Nigeria and could be very apt and proactive.

“The houses ought to be used as begin factors of waging the conflict in opposition to the menace via accountable parenting for kids by mother and father.

“The Act upon which the NDLEA is prosecuting the conflict in opposition to drug abuse and trafficking, ought to be reviewed by making provision for extra stringent measures and punishment for the crime.

The UNODC will proceed to associate with related stakeholders in Nigeria to curb the menace technically and technologically” 

In his personal submission, the NDLEA secretary, Shadrack Haruna stated the struggle shouldn’t be left for the company or authorities alone.

“Concerted efforts ought to be made proper from the house fronts to struggle the conflict. NDLEA is attempting its finest to rid the Nigerian society of drug addicts and traffickers who going by realities on floor, represent the biggest share of criminals within the society”, he stated.

The Comptroller Normal of Nigeria Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa represented by Yakubu Sylvanus, stated 70 to 77% of inmates are concerned in drug associated circumstances, saying “when all are concerned within the struggle in opposition to the menace , there will probably be decongestion”. 

Including new dimension to the clarion calls, the Director Normal of Nationwide Company for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Individuals (NAPTIP), Dr Fatima Waziri, in her remarks stated know-how and fogeys ought to be used to struggle the conflict in opposition to drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.

“Expertise and fogeys are essential within the conflict in opposition to drug abuse and trafficking. All stakeholders ought to please make most use of them for the specified results of a society devoid of drug addicts and traffickers”, she stated.

Although as resolved by all of the related stakeholders, the summit will probably be taken to the grassroots in nipping the crime within the bud however whether or not such decision will probably be backed by required actions or not, is left to be seen in months to return.

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