By Lawal Adejoh
An energetic nongovernmental organisation, Coalition of Nigeria Youth On Security And Safety Affairs (CONYSSA) has called on Nigerians to avoid drug abuse to achieve a better society.
The Director General, Amb. Ade Mario Emmanuel, said government should make good policies and create enabling environment in order to support the efforts of stakeholders to reduce drug abuse.
He made this call at the first Nigerian Youths Multi-stakeholders conference on drug abuse and demand reduction held on Thursday May 25, 2023 at the Army Resource Center Abuja.
He said the group has taken it upon itself to ensure that issues of drug abuse are curbed or reduced to its barest minimum.
He opined that if young people are the hope of tomorrow and their lives are being endangered by substance or drug abuse what then becomes the future of the society?
The DG added that curbing drug abuse has been a major challenge affecting the growth of the country and needs urgent attention.
He said that idleness, peer pressure and naive curiosity also accounted for the increasing rate of illicit drug consumption among youths in the country.
He further listed provision of employment, support from families, more awareness creation, education, and others, as the ways drug abuse can be curbed among youths and teenagers.
Mario urged the government and necessary stakeholders to look into the challenges and other harmful reasons driving our youths into drugs and provide long lasting solutions.
He assured that before the end of 2023, CONYSSA would have covered all the 36 states in the country.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the occasion, Amb. Dr Dare Akande said, “Our goal is to preach hard work, resilience and moral values. We recognise the pressures pushing the youths into drug peddling and abuse, but they are not justifiable.”
He urged the youth to shun drug abuse and be involved in something positive.
“We are calling on every stakeholder to come on board to ensure drug free society.
“Government has a bigger role to play but the rest of us cannot fold our arms and watch”, Akande said.
