Drug abuse: Kaduna govt, firm train health workers, ward heads

The Kaduna State Ministry for Local Government Affairs is collaborating with Hasamco Investment Limited to train 138 stakeholders on effective strategies for curbing drug abuse and youth restiveness in Kaduna communities.

A 3-day workshop has brought together community health workers, nursing officers, information officers, youth development officers, social development officers and ward heads from the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

Speaking on the training, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Hasamco Investment Limited, Nurudeen Umar said according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), about 47 per cent of people are abusing drugs in Kaduna saying, “Those that are being prosecuted are below the age of 17 years.”

He noted that the long term abuse of drugs has negative effect on the human body as it causes liver, Kidney and heart diseases adding that, “For the women, it causes infertility which is of major concern to our society and the nation at large.”

Head, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, Dr. Folorunsho Nuhu presented a paper titled “Modern Techniques for Assessment and Treatment of Adolescents with Substance Abuse.”

A representative of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kaduna state command, Dr. Ibraheem Baba, said there is need to equip security agencies with human and material resources to tackle the current security situation.