Vanguard Against Drug Abuse, VGADA, a Non-Government Organisation, NGO, had appealed to the Federal Government to take urgent measures against drug abuse to safeguard the future of Nigerian youth.
VGADA President, Dr Hope Abraham disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Monday.
According to him, the country may be stuck on the issue of poor leadership if necessary steps are not taken to curb the rising case of illicit drug consumption in the country.
“The most commonly used drugs, especially among the youth these days, are alcohol, which now comes in small sachets, marijuana, and codeine-containing cough syrup, tramadol and many others.
“Some youths even go as far as sniffing stench from pit toilets just to get high, some mix substances like soft drinks with spirit, while others mix lacassera with tom-tom among others.
“We all must wake up from our slumber and do the needful in checking the ugly trend if we still want to have a country with healthy people, most especially good leaders in the nearest future,’’ he said.
Mr Abraham said that no matter the effort put in place to fight drug abuse, if parents fail to play their role at the family level, there would be no headway.
He added that poor parenting is a huge contributory factor to various abuses that children are exposed to.
“I can’t blame youths for this unwholesome habit because they are indeed the products of the society they live in.
“I think the whole thing boils down to poor parenting, sometimes, these children do what they witness their parents do right there in their homes.
“Apart from drug abuse, issues like child trafficking and abuse have also been a threat to the growth of the country.
“These things are on the increase and we as an association will not fold our arms and watch,’’ Mr Abraham said.
He said the group would continue in its little way to conduct advocacies and lots of sensitisation programmes against these problems bedevilling the society.
NAN
