The wife of Lagos State governor, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has solicited accurate data on drug abusers in the state.
Sanwo-Olu said this on Thursday, August 29, 2024, while speaking at a discourse titled: “Drug abuse and its effect on youths, domestic affairs and economic development”.
The Lagos State’s First Lady said that accurate data on drug abusers would allow the state to correct foreigners who could give wrong data on drug-related activities in the state.
Noting how passionate she is about the war against drug abuse in the state, Mrs Sanwo-Olu said she had set up a committee on drug abuse.
According to her, the committee would work with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other stakeholders to curb the use of illicit drugs in the state.
In her view at the discourse, Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole, Head of Editorial Operations, News Agency of Nigeria, advised Nigerian youths on positive ways to use their time.
Ms Omowole also urged participants to stay away from drug abuse and admonished participants not to lure them into substance abuse.
Abubakar Liman, the Lagos state Commander of NDLEA, said that there were three stages of drug abuse — experimentation, occasional use and regular use.
Mr Lima, who was represented by Innocent Adinna, an assistant commander in NDLEA, said that the causes of drug abuse were peer pressure, frustration, broken homes, curiosity and lack of parental support or guidance, among others.
He said that the “effects are harmful to the society, weakens the immune system, among other negative impacts on the users”.
He said, “There are prevention strategies that the NDLEA has put in place such as intervention, sensitisation and enlightenment.”
