Director Decries Drug Abuse Among Children

The Director of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
in Imo State, Mr Mshelia Kuka, has decried the growing trend of drug abuse
among school children, and described it as ‘disheartening ’.

Kuka spoke in Owerri
at a workshop organised by the Directorate of Police Education in
conjunction with NDLEAfor teachers in police schools in the South East and
South-South zones.

He said that there was an urgent need to inculcate good
values in children, adding that “it is better to train the child than to repair
the adult.”

The director said that the workshop was organised to educate
teachers in primary and secondary schools on the effects of drugs and the signs
of drug abuse.

“Training of teachers in this workshop is the first step of
the inclusion of drug education in curriculum of schools,’’ he said.

Kuka appealed to the beneficiaries to replicate the
programme in their schools by including drug education in the scheme of work.

He called on school authorities to support and be committed
to the implementation of the programme in order to create a drug-free
environment in their schools.                        He also urged them to form drug-free clubs
in schools, adding that it was one of the ways to teach students life coping
skills and the dangers of drug abuse.

In an address, Director of Police Education, Kabir Ibrahim,
stressed the need to checkmate the growing use of drugs by adolescents.

Ibrahim, represented by Mr Sam Orji, said that a high
percentage of criminals arrested by the police tested positive to drug use, and
described drug addiction as a ‘catalyst to robbery, cultism and terrorism.  “These criminals are often compelled to
commit crimes so they can fund their addiction to illicit drugs,” he said.

The head of the South-East zone of NDLEA, Mrs Chika Egbegbu,
called on teachers who attended the workshop to maximise the opportunity
offered in training their children.