BENIN CITY – The Edo State Government and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), as part of activities to mark the 2021 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, led other stakeholders in a sensitization road walk against drug abuse and trafficking across the Benin metropolis.
The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed globally every June 26 to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.
To raise awareness on the dangers of the menace, the Edo State Drug Control Committee (ESDCC) and NDLEA staged a walk from Edo State Secretariat to Sakponba Road, Ring Road, and Sapele Road, warning residents against the intake of drugs.
Addressing journalists shortly after the roadshow, the Chairman of ESDCC, Dr. Osamwonyi Irowa, said that drug abusers impose dangers to society and its economy.
According to him, “We took this walk against drug abuse today to create the necessary information in society. Drug abuse is an ill that must be eradicated completely.
“It must be stamped out from our state. We embarked on a walk around major areas where we have a large crowd of people within the city. Our walk was also associated with the sharing of flyers and I am sure that many people have been well-informed about the dangers of engaging in drug abuse.”
Irowa continued: “The dangers of drug abuse are actually enormous; it starts from family, community, state, nation and eventually the entire globe.
“Anybody that takes often ends up indulging in crime to make money for the purchase of drugs; what does that mean? He would destroy other people’s lives and their means of livelihood, and that automatically means more stress for the state.”
“Having too many drug abusers in the society will further impose danger in our economy as people will be scared to go about their businesses because of fear of either being robbed, kidnapped or killed,” he stated.
On his part, the Edo Commander of the NDLEA, Mr. Buba Wakawa, commended Governor Godwin Obaseki for this government’s efforts in raising awareness on the menace of drug abuse, noting that the increased sensitization would further help in checking the incidence of drug abuse in the state.
