NDLEA, UNODC Commend Media For Regular Support In Curbing Drug Trafficking

Oru Leonard

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have commended the media for constant support in the fight against drug trafficking in Nigeria.

Addressing participants at an ongoing NDLEA/UNODC Media training on Drugs Prevention, Treatment and Care Sensitization on Wednesday at Abuja, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa noted that the media have a very important role to play in the society, and as such, the business of getting the information out needs to be accurate and professionally done, especially on the business of drug control, drug abuse and trafficking.

Marwa noted that the media need to get adequate knowledge of the of the technicalities and terrain of drug operations in order to deliver accurate reportage. While thanking the UNODC for their regular support, he called on journalists the NDLEA media team to take full advantage of the training noting that the training from UNODC has played a very crucial role in the successes recorded in the agency.

“We all are responsible, we want a drug-free nation. We may not get a zero level but definitely there is a certain minimum acceptable standard that we are all pursuing and those who are given the responsibility to fight crime which includes the matter of drugs, cannot themselves be the proponent of it”, the NDLEA Boss stated.

Speaking, the UNODC Country Representative to Nigeria, Oliver Stolpe, disclosed that the drug use epidemic in terms of pure use affects around 14 million Nigerians, with around 3 million battling drug use disorder and require medical intervention to stop using drug, noting however, that what is being put towards addressing this issue, fall significantly short of other efforts.

He stressed that the media still has a lot to do to change the perception of most Nigerians who see drug use as a failure on the part of the users.

“I am grateful to all of you and thanks to the media that the level of awareness both in public but most importantly with the policy makers has changed quite dramatically in the past two to three years leading to the establishment of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse about three years ago.

“I think there is still more to be done because I still believe that most Nigerians perceive drug use more as a failure of some sort, basically those people that use drugs. It hasn’t fully yet been appreciated that drug use is a health condition first and foremost and it is a health condition that affects this nation much more severely than I think there is a true awareness of”, he said.

Stolpes further said that Nigeria needs to understand where her public health priority stands, where they are and how much resources are being put against them to address them.

“I think that is a message that I hope you will continue to help us to spread so that the very important work that is carried out by NDLEA and other players such as the representatives of the health system, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Ministry of Health, the state Ministries of Health, many of the drug prevention committees that have been established by many of the state governors, all of them require your attention, support and effort for the important cause that they are pursuing and trying to help this nation address”, he ended.