The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it is scaling up its war against drug abuse to secondary schools in Kwara.
The agency said the campaign would be conducted in partnership with the schools under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) school clubs.
The agency announced this in a communique issued after its town hall meeting with principals of secondary schools in Ilorin.
Speakibg at the meering, the Kwara Commander of NDLEA, Mr Ibrahim Bashir, reiterated the need to set up WADA Clubs as part of extra curriculum activities in secondary schools in order to curtail the prevalence of drug abuse among youths.
The agency revealed plans to station trained volunteers in secondary schools to help coordinate WADA activities and revamp programmes such as the ‘National Essay Competition’ to engage the students positively.
The communique stressed that teachers have a crucial role to play in drug abuse prevention and education to their students, adding that the Ministry of Education should make religious studies compulsory for students.
The meeting also suggested the use of modern technology to connect with the youths through the creation of an App, internet and social media to educate students on the adverse effects of drug abuse.
The Zonal Commander of the agency in charge of Zone ‘C’, comprising Niger, Kogi and Kwara States, Mr Yahaya Aliyu, an Assistant Commander General of Narcotics, spoke on the role of the agency in curtailing drug abuse, including Demand and Supply Reduction.
Aliyu stated that there should be collaborative efforts by all stakeholders in the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA).
The meeting also agreed to create a suggestion box in different locations, especially in offices and schools on how best to discourage youths from taking illicit drugs and other substances.
Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, who was represented by the Secretary, urged the agency to step up efforts in the WADA activities and seek indulgence from the principals and stakeholders to key into such programmes.
The communique also stated that the NDLEA, Kwara Command, has held an exhibition of products produced by the clients currently undergoing rehabilitation, tagged: “Empowering Recovery Through Creativity”.
The exhibition was graced by the Zonal Commander, Zone C Minna, the Deputy Zonal Commander, representatives of the Nigerian Army and chairperson of Kwara Drug Control Committee, among other stakeholders.
The stakeholders who spoke at the event applauded the initiative in the treatment and rehabilitation of drug-dependent persons in the society.
The state commander of the agency disclosed that the command has trained 21 persons who were previous victims of substance abuse on various skill acquisitions.
He said they received training in the areas of liquid soap production, shoe and bag making, among other capacity building and developmental areas, so as to keep them relevant when they finally re-integrate into the society.