Drug Abuse : Nigerian Senate wants FG to Establish Rehabilitation Centres Across the Country
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Following its December Round-table aimed at addressing the drug use epidemic across the nation, the Senate on Tuesday passed a motion calling on the federal government to establish rehabilitation centres in each of the 36 States of the nation.
In the motion sponsored by Senator Jeremiah Useni and nine other Senators, the Senate noted that with more rehabilitation centres in the country, addicts would be able to receive professional treatment in the short and long term, thereby, bringing down the rate of addiction and crime in the country.
Senator Philip Gyunka in his submission said, “drug addicts are seen everywhere on the streets. “I have the strong belief that if the rehabilitation centres are established there will be less crime in the society”.
Speaking on the motion, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, emphasised that drug abuse negatively affects the productivity of our youth, stating that there was a need to stop the distribution of drugs at both the wholesale and retail levels.
“This issue of drug abuse is a threat to youths’ productivity. There’s need to break the chain between the dealers and users as it is fostering crimes in the country. Security agencies should curb the distribution of drugs”, he said.
Commending the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Senator Joshua Lidani, stated that the motion stemmed from the Senate Roundtable organized in Kano last year, which shed light on how big of an issue drug use is in the country.
The Senate further resolved to urge relevant stakeholders like the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to key into the proposed rehabilitation centres, while mandating its committee on Secondary and Tertiary Health to ensure that the Federal Government gives the centres the needed attention when established.
