Ogun State Government says it has taken the campaign against drugs abuse to primary and secondary schools, as part of measures being taken to bring the menace to a barest minimum.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker made this known in Abeokuta on Monday during a media chat in commemoration of the 2022 United Nations Anti-Drug Day with the theme, "Addressing Drug Challenges in Health and Humanitarian Crises’’.
Coker who was represented by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Kayode Oladehinde, made reference to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), which revealed that 275 million people used drugs worldwide, while 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders.
The Commissioner who decried the engagement of students in the sales, hawking, supply, distribution and consumption of substances of abuse, said the trend has given rise to serious health and humanitarian crises in various communities.
She mentioned that damages to central nervous, respiratory and circulatory systems, as well as cultism, crime, terrorism, kidnapping, rape and insecurity, among others, were implications of drug abuse in the society.
According to her, the Prince Dapo Abiodun led government, through the Ogun State Drug Control Committee (OSDCC) had extended sensitisation and establishment of drug-free clubs to 160 secondary schools across the three senatorial districts of the State.
Coker added that the drug-free clubs had also been established in three tertiary institutions, noting that primary schools were being reached through the Parents Teachers Association (P.T.A), to effectively catch them young.
The Commissioner further said that the sensitisation campaign has been taken to Community Development Associations (CDAs), faith-based organisations, youth groups, artisans’ groups, motor parks and transportation unions, among others.
"As a government, we understand the dangers posed by drug abuse to society. To ensure that the young ones are given the right information, we have taken our awareness campaign to 160 secondary schools across the length and breadth of the State’’, Coker said.
She urged all stakeholders, particularly, parents to be good ambassadors to the children while they ensure proper education is dished out to them from home, saying that many youths have out of ignorance gone into drug abuse.
In his remarks, the Director, Pharmaceutical Services in the Ministry of Health, Pharmacist Kayode Sotunde, said the department was committed to the monitoring and supervision of the already established drug free clubs, to assess their performance and functionality.
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