Abia State Deputy Governor, Engr Ikechukwu Emetu has stressed the need for all to see the fight against drug abuse as a problem that should be won in order to have a crime free State.
Emetu who stated this during a crucial meeting he held with Principal Officers of NDLEA, Ministry of Health and stakeholders in drug business at Government House, Umuahia regretted that people especially the youths consume hard drugs as relief to pain and unpleasant emotional trauma without considering the harmful effects on their health and society.
The Deputy Governor harped on the need to control the inflow of illicit drugs to the State and proper classification of drugs and appealed for collaboration with Officials of NDLEA, the Ministry of Health and pharmaceutical outlets to ensure that the war against drug abuse is won.
He used the occasion to assure that Government on its side will create an enabling environment through the creation of jobs for the teeming youths who are mostly victims of drug abuse and mandated the State Commander NDLEA, Mr Yusuf Aboki- Dogo and a former SSA on Drugs and Narcotics, Mr David Anyanwu to come up with a comprehensive brief and challenges facing them, expressing optimism that all the logistics problems will be adequately addressed as the war against drugs cannot be won without logistics and mobilization.
In their remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Lady Franca Ekwueme, the Chairman, State NDLEA, Mr Yusuf Aboki-Dogo and a former SSA on Drugs and Narcotics, Mr David Anyanwu while calling for close collaboration between the relevant stakeholders in the control of drugs as the war on drugs is a collective responsibility and called for a 24 hours drug task force to help tackle the menace in the State.
