Yemi Obafemi
Kwara State chairperson of FIDA, Gloria Okoduwa, has announced plans by the FIDA to take a campaign against drug abuse and its effects to major markets and other public places in the state to pass the message across.
She disclosed this at the FIDA Week 2023 celebrations, organised by the International Federation of Women Lawyers in Ilorin on Tuesday, calling for parents cooperation to fight against online drug sales and drug abuse.
According to her, many parents do not have time to monitor the activities of their children, adding that phones have taken children away from many parents.
Okoduwa Said, “I think this generation is wiser than us. They go all out to explore and parents are rather too busy with careers and businesses. We need to come together and fight the monster that wants to take our children away from us. There are so many youths languishing in rehabilitation centres because of this monster called drugs”.
She encouraged close monitoring of parents on their children, saying that present socioeconomic situations had made parents not have time for their children any longer.
The State Commander of the NDLEA, Mohammed Ibrahim, in his keynote address, titled, ‘Uprise in Drug Abuse, Role of Parents’ said the prevalence of drug use and drug addiction had led to an increasing crime rate in society.
He said, “We call it the darknet where drugs are being sold online without the seller and the buyer knowing each other. All they need is contact and they make the call and the substance is delivered. It’s very common here now. What we’ve been doing is to see how to intercept them.
“Especially, the waybill coming from neighbouring states through some commercial vehicles. We’ve intensified our patrol system around the state. We’re gathering intelligence and we’re making very good use of it. We’ve intercepted quite a number of them through control delivery.
“We know as the yuletide period is approaching, a lot of such would be happening. Thank God, the state governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, is being proactive as he has supported us with the provision of infrastructure to tackle the menace”.
He, thus, suggested some protective factors against the menace such as family harmony and bonding, affection and love for family members, and proactive and positive parenting, while he advised that parents should not be judgemental but ensure effective monitoring of their children, among others
