The Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Maria Edekor has expressed her resolve in collaborating with the Nigerian Red Cross Society in completely ridding every part of the state of the menace of drug trafficking and its abuse among youths.
She made the disclosure on Tuesday when she received executive members of the Edo State chapter of the Nigerian Red Cross Society in her office in Benin City.
Speaking on the harmful impact drug trafficking and drug abuse have had on youths in the state, the deputy speaker disclosed that substance abuse through illicit use of hard drugs in various forms have found its way into every nooks and crannies of the society through some women selling herbal concoction referred to as “Agbo”.
According to the deputy speaker, every woman on the street with a container bearing different herbal mixtures and concoctions are the agents and distributors of these hard drugs, which are prevalent everywhere in the society.
“Today, we are having vulnerable persons that are victims of drugs and that is a new plague because our community is being destroyed by drugs.
“I believe it is within the Exclusive List in our Constitution but my belief is the issue of drug abuse should be on the Concurrent List because the people consuming drugs are within our community.
“I have had collaborative partnership with NAFDAC and NDLEA in taking the campaign against drug abuse to schools, churches and market places. When I was in FIDA in one of our weeks, I delivered a paper on “drug trafficking and drug abuse, a tragedy for our community.
“But maybe because as a university lecturer I was able to see the tragedy associated with drug abuse that nobody could see, but today drugs are being sold in every nook and cranny of our society”, she lamented.
She said 60 percent of our youths would test positive if we subject every youth to drug tests, including parents, adding that some women carrying basins selling herbal concoction are not selling “Agbo” but are selling drugs to our youths.
“For me, I would be comfortable if the NDLEA could buy those basins from the Agbo sellers hawking these drugs and take them for laboratory analysis because even at night around 1am you still see these “Agbo” sellers displaying them. Who takes Agbo at 1am or 2am, if it is not drugs they are distributing.
“I am willing to join in your campaign and sensitization against drug trafficking and drug abuse in our society because presently we have a humanitarian crisis staring us in the face”, she said.
Earlier, the state chairman Nigeria Red Cross Society, Monday Edogiawerie, disclosed that as part of activities lined up for the forthcoming First Aid, Disaster management and leadership training camp for 500 participants holding in Benin City on August 25 to 31, the state would decorate Rt. Hon. Maria Edekor as an associate member.
Also, the chairman added that the Nigerian Red Cross Society Edo State chapter in its humanitarian capacity distributed livelihood support to over 300 beneficiaries to cushion the effect of Covid-19 as well as other activities in emergency response during disaster, public health education, restoring family links and prison sanitation programmes.
