By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The Chief Commissioner of Scout Association of Nigeria, Mr David Awunah, on Wednesday tasked members of the association to lead the campaign against drug abuse and illicit trafficking in Nigeria.
Awunah made the call in a statement to mark the United Nations (UN) International Day Against Drugs Abuse and illicit Trafficking organized by the Scouts in Nigeria, in Abuja.
According to him, ”A day like this called for sober reflections among our Youths, families and individuals because of the scourge in our society” Adding that the future of the nation is bleak if nothing drastic is done to curb the menace
“Today, as in every 26th day of June in recent past, The United Nations [UN] is marking International Day Against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking in the light of a daunting drug scourge that is facing the world and attendant wide-ranging impacts on the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities, as well as on the security and sustainable development of nations,” he stated.
In his message, the Secretary-General – Mr Antonio Guterres went further to state that preventing and addressing drug challenges in all their complexity is essential to delivering on a fundamental global pledge as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals “to leave no one behind’’.
According to the Chief Commissioner,” In Nigeria as we all may be aware, the menace is alarmingly increasing by the day especially with a growing population of about 200million out of which about 100m are young people with 50% of that allegedly involved in one form of drug abuse or the other, some very recklessly. This invariably shows the future of the nation is bleak if nothing drastic is done to curb this menace. The recent setting up of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Elimination of Drug Abuse [PACEDA] to boost the activities and efforts of other Drug Related Agencies in tackling this menace bear eloquent testimonies to this claim,” he noted.
He therefore commending the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government and all arms of Government working assiduously to eradicate this scourge from our society; The Scout Association of Nigeria [TSAN] commend The UN on this International Day noting that the theme for the year – “health for justice, justice for health”
Mr. Awunah, enjoins the over 3 million members of the Scout association of Nigeria to be on the watch and alert the command accordingly should anyone has any information that can lead to the curtailing of this menace and eventual eradication of Drug Abuse in our society.
As part of its crusade against the menace, the Chief Commissioner said that the association has launch a campaign titled “Campaign Against Drug Abuse. ( CADA).
The Campaign according to Mr. Awunah, is targeted at Youths in Primary schools and Tertiary Institutions who will be drawn from the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) for the commencement of the campaign which will take place in Abuja and replicated across the states and 774 Local government in Nigeria.
The event according to the organizers is bill to attract members of the body from all over the world.