The National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has urged stakeholders to intensify efforts toward eradicating drug abuse among youths to make them good leaders of tomorrow.
Mr Dechi David, the Assistant State Commander, NDLEA, Katsina State Command, made this plea on Thursday in Katsina at a lecture on ‘’Dangers of Drug Abuse Among Youths: Causes and Solutions.”
The lecture was organised by the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) as part of events at the launch of a Campaign Against Drug Abuse and Child Molestation.
‘’We wish to request all and sundry that we need to improve on the way we model our youths.
‘’The youths of today are no more leaders of tomorrow, but of today.
‘’May our generation not be branded as wasted generation; that will be most unfortunate.
‘’Therefore, let the youths and indeed all and sundry be forewarned and now say no to drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking,’’ David said.
He said that while some countries had good leaders at 40 years, many Nigerian youths within that age group were deeply involved in drug abuse and trafficking.
David listed the causes of drug abuse to include curiosity of youths, peer group influence and availability of those drugs.
Others, he said, were unemployment, family instability, occupational disposition and deceptive advertisement used by companies selling alcohol.
David said that drug abuse damaged organs like kidney, liver and brain, while also causing low productivity, anxiety, depression, premature death, accidents, terrorism, kidnapping and rape.
The officer, therefore, urged all stakeholders to continue to join hands in the fight against the menace.
The POWA President, Mrs Asmau Idris, said that drug abuse was more prevalent in the Northern part of the country and this was the reason POWA decided to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to end the meance.