NDLEA, Aisha Babangida, others blame parents over rise in drug abuse

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the eldest child of former Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Aisha Babangida, and the National Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society (AISN), Sheikh Fuad Adeyemi, have tasked parents to act on the rising cases of drug, especially among the youths in the country.

They made the call on Saturday in Abuja at the 11th annual Al-Habibiyyah Women’s Forum.

They blamed parents for the rising scourge, saying more than half of the cases of drug abuse were their faults.

Babangida, who is the chairperson of the Better Life Programme for the African Rural Woman, said that failure to instil Islamic values by parents on their children is one of the major contributors to drug abuse.

“Charity begins at home. We just heard of a case of mothers finding comfort for themselves by taking cough syrup and introducing same to their children so they don’t disturb them. We have to engage in more education,” she said.

Also, Hajiya Fatima Abiola-Popoola, who represented the Chairman/ CEO of NDLEA, Brig-Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa, said that parenting style and strategy largely contribute to rising drug scourge, especially as children nowadays are on the ‘fast lane’, thus the need for parents to double their efforts.

Sheikh Adeyemi on his part said that the organisation held a youth programme in August where children shared their experiences and the role played by their parents, hence the women programme used as an opportunity to engage the parents.

The Executive Director, Sustainable Gender Action Initiative (SGAI), Abuja, Hajiya Mufuliat Fijabi, said parents should look beyond the popular drugs and other substances being abused as there are many less known and potent substances being abused by children due to peer pressure and bad influences.