Pubdate: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 Source: Leadership Nigeria (Nigeria) Copyright: 2009 Leadership Newspapers Group Limited Contact: http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4706 Author: Joshua Uma Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) NDLEA TO INTENSIFY The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) through its Chairman, Ahmadu Giade reassured Nigerians that the anti-narcotic campaign will be vigorously pursued this New Year so as to enlist the support of all stakeholders. The NDLEA boss in a signed statement made available to Leadership promised Nigerians a peaceful and progressive year. He noted that the country will continue to maintain a frontline role in the quest for a drug free society for all to actualise their dreams and aspirations. "Nigeria is a land of opportunities. We are proud of our human and natural endowment. Nothing will restrain us from attaining our individual and collective goals, not even illicit drug activities. As a country, we have a reputation for playing a key role in drug control and we are going to maintain that position. We appreciate the crucial role of drug control in national security and we shall make the needed sacrifice towards ensuring a drug free Nigeria " Giade stated.. While calling on parents to pay quality attention to the upbringing of their children and wards the NDLEA boss said that anti-drug enlightenment must begin at the family level. "I call on parents to closely supervise their children. It is not enough to pay school fees; they should find time and visit them at schools. Once in a while, enter into their rooms and see what they do when they are alone. Our target this year is to reach out to as many families as possible. We want the anti-drug crusade to start from the family level" he stressed.. The root cause of drug trafficking is greed and the desire to get rich quick. This according to Giade needs to be tackled through series of seminars and workshops that will be organised in each State of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja . "We need to propagate our rich cultural and value system. The youths must understand the fact that nothing compares to hard-work and contentment. A good name is better than many riches. We are therefore making school children and young school graduates our target because we want to inculcate these values in them early enough so that it will become their way of life" the NDLEA boss declared. He expressed optimism that the teaching of drug education in schools will be vigorously pursued this year for the enlightenment campaign to have an enduring impact. He pointed out that the Agency is not about arrest and prosecution alone. According to Giade, "the Agency has a mandate to suppress illicit demand for narcotic drugs. There is a specialised directorate known as Drug Demand Reduction Directorate that is charged with drug abuse preventive education, treatment and rehabilitation as well as conduct of research and stakeholder liaison coordination". - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin