9th October, 2019
The Lagos State Government has expressed its readiness to collaborate with members of the NDLEA Celebrity Drug Free Club (NCDFC) and Crime Reporters of Nigeria (CRAN) to address the menace of drug abuse among students and youths across the State.
The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Segun Dawodu made the commitment on Tuesday when he received executives and members of the two bodies in his office at Alausa, Ikeja.
Dawodu who received the visitors on a courtesy visit on behalf of the State Governor, Mr. Babjide Sanwo-Olu, promised to incorporate the ideas and ideals of NCDFC and CRAN into its programmes, stressing that the endemic nature which the menace had assumed in recent time, demands a combined force to nip it in the bud.
He maintained that although the Ministry was already working on a comprehensive and full drug awareness programme that would last for a whole year, it was practically impossible for the government alone to shoulder the campaign without involving members of the public and some other relevant stakeholders.
In his words; “Drug abuse is a reality that lives with us now, as much as we are making efforts as a government to change the narratives through adequate awareness programmes, yet we can’t do it alone, this is why the concern shown by NCDFC and CRAN is quite noble and must be commended.
He added that the state government is aware of the danger which drug abuse poses to the attainment of its programmes, plans, and policies that is why the Ministry is tackling the menace headlong through youth engagements and empowerment, job creation which would in turn help address youth restiveness and aggressive behavior.
He recalled that the determination of the state government to curb drug abuse made the Ministry initiated a campaign tagged LASKADA, meaning; Lagos State Kick Against Drug Abuse to further raise awareness about drug abuse and also assist its victims.
Dawodu, however, appealed to NCDFC and CRAN to use their influence as role models and opinion influencers among the youth population to help re-direct the mind of the youth to a more noble and profitable path.
“I want to appeal to you as influencers in your own right to use your position to influence these younger ones positively. Some of you have a greater influence on our youth even more than a State Governor, so, the onus is on you not to encourage the use of drugs among youth wittingly or unwittingly,” the Commissioner appealed.
According to the National Coordinator of NCDFC, Ighodalo Wilson and the President of CRAN, Odita Sunday, the duo of NCDFC and CRAN would be staging a One-Million-Man Match against Drug Abuse and Mental Health with the theme: “Breaking the Silence and Stigma” later this month, precisely on the 30th and 31st with the aim of creating awareness on drugs and substance abuse in Lagos.
The visitors, who centered their campaign message on “Drug-Free Lagos for A Greater Lagos”, lamented the uncoordinated manner in which these drugs are sold at every corner across the state without any restraint.
An official of NDLEA Celebrity Drug Free Club (NCDFC), Gbenga Adeyinka who is also a multi-award-winning Nigerian actor and comedian in his contribution, added that it is the belief of the members of the celebrity club that if Lagos State can successively tame the monster of drug abuse, the entire country would be sanitized and be free of the menace.
He said, “If you tackle a problem in Lagos, then you would have tackled it nationally, that is why we are calling on the Lagos State Government to be responsive to emerging challenges within the society which drug abuse is a major one.
“We know that the fight is huge and must be collectively fought using a multi-dimensional mass awareness campaign because the affected persons are our children and as such we all should show concern.”
NDLEA Celebrity Drug Free Club is a Non-Governmental and non-partisan organization inspired by the love for a safe, healthy and drugfree society. It is an advocacy body to the NDLEA established in 2014.
The Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria on the other hand, is a registered arm of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, being a body of Reporters from different print, electronic and online media organizations that report crime and other security-related activities. The Association was founded about three decades ago and has progressively joined forces with security agencies and other relevant stakeholders in fighting crime and promoting the safety and security of citizens.
There was a presentation of a Trophy to the Governor through the Commissioner by NCDFC and CRAN after which the Commissioner was decorated as a member of the Club by the leaders of the two teams.