NDLEA to inaugurate rehabilitation centres to combat drug trafficking and addiction

The National Drug Control Agency will inaugurate three new model rehabilitation centers before the end of the year.

NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said this in an interview on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Babafemi said the agency was only scratching the surface, adding that it was tackling the root causes of drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

He said there was hardly any community in Nigeria that did not face a problem of drug abuse, saying awareness and advocacy had helped reduce the problem to the barest minimum.

This is why, according to him, we must raise real awareness across the country.

“That is why the agency has launched the War on Drug Abuse (WADA) initiatives to mobilise everybody, be it you, families, religious organisations, the community, all sections of society, to get involved in this,” he said. “We are going to open three new model rehabilitation centres this year and they will be inaugurated soon. This shows that the leadership of this country is well informed about the drug problems in Nigeria and is very supportive of the NDLEA. We are delighted with this and the partnership the agency has with other organisations and institutions. Drug addiction is a global challenge. We have no time to lose and that is why we are running faster and working hard to ensure that we respond to this global challenge.”

Speaking on the agency's renewed initiative, Mr Babafemi said the key was to create awareness among the public about drug testing.

President Bola Tinubu launched the “Save Our Families Campaign” initiative on June 26 to strengthen the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

Mr Babafemi said there was a need for parents to also take ownership of their children's education.

He said the agency had provided thousands of test kits that could be used at home and office, among other places.

According to him, there is no need to visit a facility before using the test kits, as people stay at home and do diabetes, pregnancy and other tests.

“Remember that the family is the smallest unit of society and that's where most of these problems start. So if you want to get to the bottom of this and solve the situation, you also have to go back to the family level to mobilize, mobilize the parents, get them to become parents, to take ownership of the education of their children. children.

“Parents need to be intentional in their parenting. We have definitely gone beyond that and apart from that you have also seen that NDLEA continues to come up with new strategies every day and every time. We are simplifying the process so that parents can now go to their homes to check their children for drug addiction. This is for early detection.

“If you detect it early, then you can quickly seek help, because in the early stages of drug addiction it is easier to tackle and treat the problem than when it turns into addiction it becomes so complex and complicated. This shows that we are indeed making progress. One of the problems that the “Save Our Families” campaign solves is prevention. »

(NOPE)