President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday appointed his wife, Aisha, as a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse.
The Committee has the former Military Administration of Lagos, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, retd, as its chairman.
Buhari also inaugurated the Ministerial Steering Committee, which is headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.
Inaugurating the two committees at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the President called for collective action to help those enslaved by drugs build a new life.
He lamented that the challenges associated with drug abuse had grown to become a major public health problem in Nigeria.
According to him, “This is a situation of emergency and we must face and address it as such.”
Buhari noted that in many schools, adolescents experience mental health issues, either temporarily or for a long period of time, while some become insane, cannot remain in schools and eventually drop out.
“Drug and alcohol abuse are also major occupational hazards among Nigerian workers, professionals, notably drivers, which contribute to making Nigerian roads particularly dangerous. The drugs that are commonly abused include but not limited to alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, Tramadol, codeine, etc.
“Today marks the beginning of another milestone in correcting the root cause of some of the ills of today’s society in order to safeguard our common existence and guarantee a brighter future for our current generation and those yet on born.
“The role is specifically targeted at decimating the disastrous havoc that drug abuse could cause on the very fabric of our society,” he said.
Culled from daily
Get real time update about this post categories directly on your device, subscribe now.
