Worried by the destructive effects of illicit drugs intake among youths, the National Association of Sea Dogs (NAS) fraternity (Olympus Marina Deck), Rivers State Branch and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA ), Rivers State Command, have kicked off a state-wide advocacy and sensitisation awareness campaign to check the tide of illicit drugs in State .
Other initiatives lined up by the NAS to enhance the operations of NDLEA in the State include robust finacial fund drive, and other logistics development support programme to enable the agency perform its constitutional responsibility .
Speaking at a one-day citizen’s round table stakeholder’s meeting organised by members of Natiomal Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Rivers State Branch, in collaboration with NDLEA and Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Port Harcourt, held at the Algate Hotels in Port Harcourt, the National Vice President of NANS, Rivers State Chapter, Mr. Kennedy Barango, said the workshop was part of the association’s social responsibility to make positive impact on the society.
Mr Barango said the meeting was aimed at sensitising youths of the State on the negative effect of illicit drug abuse in the society, saying that drugs intake among the youths have become alarming and was responsible for various crimes and criminalities in the State.
He called on parents to rise-up to the occasion and play their fatherly and motherly responsibilities to their children, adding that family is the first step to fighting the menace of illicit drugs in the society .
”This meeting is to impact and make change in the behaviour of the youths with regard to drug taking. The family should play a major role in the up-bringing of a child. It is like egg and chicken relationship”, he stated .
Also speaking, the Deputy Commandant in charge of Drug Reduction of NDLEA, State Command, Mrs Stella Marris, said the Command has about 26 drug patients under their intensive care unit for rehabilitation, adding that the challenges of the effects of drug in the society were enormous .
She stated that the Command was currently affected by lack of funds and other logistics, which had been hampering the effectiveness of their job in the Command.
“Currently, we are challenged with vehicle shortage. The Command has only two operational vehicles, so it has become impossible for us to widen our spread across the State. We are not doing much in the rural areas due to lack of vehicles, office space, among others”, she said.
Marris advised youths to always walk away from the influence of bad peer group, and also cautioned the public against the practice of stigmasation against drug victims undergoing rehabilitation in the society .
In his own contribution, the consultant and Chief Medical Director, Neuropsychiatric yhospital, Port Harcourt, Dr Victor Ojiaku, stated that drug intakes leads to mental degradations.
According to him, the possible solutions to the menance is to strengthen the capacity of NDLEA through proper funding to enable it fight against the importation of the drugs, recruitment of more personnel, and embarking on aggressive awareness campaigns across the State.

By: Amadi Akujobi