Declare drug abuse national emergency, FG told

A Southeast summit and a nongovernmental organization of the name National Alliance against Drug Abuse for Sustainable Development have appealed to the Federal Government to recognize alarming rate of drug abuse by the youths in the Southeast Zone and declare the menace as a national emergency.

The appeal was articulated yesterday in Umuahia during the South East zonal summit on the theme, ‘Reversing the Drug Abuse Trend in the South East,’ held in the conference hall of the Royal Damgretem hotel.

Speaking, Mr. Chucks Akamadu who is also President, Center for Ethical Rebirth Among Nigerian Youths, said youths were targeted and they would be the foot soldiers to battle the menace.

“Government effort will remain inadequate until there is collaboration among the three tiers of government and it must be expanded to create a linkage between state and non-state actors. The threats posed by drug abuse to society are real and alarming. The least it deserves is a strategic, sustainable alliance by stakeholders,” Akamadu said.

Also speaking, the Chairman, South East Zonal Summit of National Alliance Against Drug Abuse, Chief Barthy Ukaogo, said the government taking over schools from the missionaries destroyed morals and quality of education which now gave rise to the prevalence of drug abuse in the society.