Pubdate: Sun, 17 May 2009
Source: This Day (Nigeria)
Copyright: 2009 This Day.
Contact:  http://www.thisdayonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2870
Author: Ndubuisi Ugah, with Agency Reports

UN RATES NIGERIA BEST IN DRUG CONTROL

Indication emerged at the weekend, that President Umaru  Musa 
Yar'Adua's anti-drug crusade may have started  yielding dividends, as 
the United Nations (UN) Office  on Drugs Control (UNODC) adjudged 
Nigeria as the best  country in drug control and enforcement in West Africa.

A statement by the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in  Lagos, said the 
rating was based on the latest  assessment report of the organisation.

The statement which did not, however, contain  statistics of the 
Nigeria's efforts on drug control,  said the report reflected the 
measures put in place to  curtail the menace of hard drug by the 
Federal  Government.

THISDAY gathered that UN has three drug treaties and 95  per cent of 
UN member-nations are parties to the  International Drug Convention (IDC).

UNODC commended the National Drug Law Enforcement  Agency (NDLEA) and 
the National Agency for Food and  Drug Administration and Control 
(NAFDAC) for efficient  operations.

It noted that the West African sub-region had become a  major transit 
route for hard drugs and attributed the  increasing level of drug 
seizure in the region to the  doggedness of the agencies.

It said that Nigeria's commitment to the fight against  the use of 
hard drugs was strategic because of its  population and influence in 
the sub-region.

The UN called for a decisive action especially from  other African 
countries to check cocaine abuse in the  region.

It expressed satisfaction at the level of acceptance of  drug control 
treaties among UN member-nations.

The statement solicited for more cooperation from  countries where 
hard drug production and consumption  remained high.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that UN has  three drug 
treaties and 95 per cent of UN  member-nations are parties to the 
International Drug  Convention (IDC).
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