INCREASING WAVE OF DRUG ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS… ‘SICKENING AND WORRISOME’ – HON. KASUNMU
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The call has again been made to parents, guardians, teachers, and religious leaders to pay attention to Nigerian children and youths in the face of the heightened rates of substance abuse in the society. This note was shared by participants at the 7th Annual Constituency Stakeholders’ Meeting which held simultaneously in all the 40 constituencies of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
At the Ikeja II Constituency meeting hosted by Hon. Adedamola Richard Kasunmu at the Eko FM Multipurpose Hall, Agidingbi, Lagos earlier today covered by Oki Samson of Ojodu Watch News, stakeholders harped on the need for youths to eschew drug addiction and abuse because it is eroding their essence to nation building. Other than that, it is also depleting their physical and mental health.
Some of the community leaders present
Speaking on the theme of the stakeholders’ meeting, ‘Increasing Wave of Drug Abuse: A Threat to Nation Building’, the lawmaker representing Ikeja II, Hon. Kasunmu said: ‘It was sickening and worrisome as bright and promising lives were dying on a daily basis due to narcotics and drug abuse. It is disheartening as a lot of them are infiltrating our primary and secondary schools.’
Cross session of Students
He made the urgent call, ‘This is the time to act and go back to the drawing board in order to protect our future because the interest of our children and youth is the development of our nation. This is getting too much and rampant and it must stop.
‘Hon. ARK’ as he is fondly called by constituents noted that it is important for Lagos State Government and Lagos Ministry of Education to infuse drug abuse study into the citizenship education/social studies and civic studies of the schools syllabus. ‘Their curriculum has to be modified, redefined and re-analyzed towards the direction that it will encapsulate the ideologies behind anticrime, antidrug abuse and all other associated issues that has to do with young and adolescent nowadays.’
In his welcome address, Alhaji Gally Adeokun urged: ‘I appeal to religious leaders to join hands with the parents and teachers in bringing up these children in the way of the Lord. Let us stop copying everything from the western world and let’s begin to agree and speak with one voice. It brings peace and unity and a better society.’
Also speaking, Chief Kehinde Omolaja noted: ‘The issue of drug abuse is a topic that we should face seriously. It is affecting Nigeria and the whole world. We cannot isolate Nigeria and it is sad. In our days, nobody knows what drug is but as the world is evolving, it has opened people’s eyes to things that are inimical to their growth. Parents, teachers, governments should try all we need is dissemination of information about the danger of drugs to their wellbeing’.
The Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ojodu LCDA, Pastor Bantale Fadeyi shared about youths and involvement in drug abuse: ‘All we need to do is to take them closer to God and nurture them in the way of the Lord because that is the way they can make their lives useful for God and society. My advice to parents is that they take care of their children and lead them in the way of the Lord.
A market leader, Iyaloja of Ojodu LCDA, Chief Mrs. Folashade Salako prayed that God will take care of our children. I ask parents to look out for their children. A recent case of a 21-year-old boy who was almost dying due to drug abuse, I thank God that he was saved when we introduced him to a psychiatrist. He was staying with his grandmother where he didn’t get parental care. That is why parents should not leave their children alone.’
Culled from TreakAfrica
