Rep raises the alarm over increasing narcotic use by youths

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Narcotic Drugs, Dr. Francis Ottah Agbo, has called on the Federal Government to improve its funding for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to enable it meet up with the incidence of increasing drug use by Nigerian youths. 

According to him, the agency is presently too “underfunded, under equipped and understaffed” to effectively meet the challenge of the new reality of drug use among Nigerian youths.

Dr. Agbo, who is the Chairman of the House of Reps Committee on Narcotics, made the appeal, last night, at the 2020 edition of the Business Hallmark People of the Year Awards held in Lagos.

The lawmaker said that his brief interaction with the NDLEA had opened his eyes to the general overlooked problem of drug abuse and narcotic use by today’s youth, noting that the country is sitting on a keg of gunpowder as “we are now raising a generation of warped minds.

He identified this drug problem as largely responsible for the hijack of the #ENDSARS protest of last month.

“The youths who were protesting against police brutality and general lack of infrastructures, opportunities and equity. If you observed, the protest went on very well until the the drug addicts hijacked and began to destroy and burn down even the little infrastructure that we already had in place. Only a drug addict can do that”, Hon. Agbo asserted.

Agbo said the incidence of drug use by today’s youths was becoming alarming and there is need to strengthen, retool and financially fortify the NDLEA to be able to combat the new challenge,  through increased enlightenment campaign, policing, and general enforcement.

The lawmaker who represents the Ado/Ogbadibo/Okpokwu Federal Constituency, of Benue State, received the award for Lawmaker of the Year, not only for his contributions on the floor of the National Assembly, where he is in the Vanguard of the renewed push for the restructuring of Nigeria, but also for keeping to his promise giving all of his salary, as lawmaker, to widows and the less privileged in his constituency. This is in addition to  several other privately financed projects – including a bridge, for his Enone people
Other winners on the night, chaired by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, include Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State who emerged Man of the Year, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo; Banker of the Year, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami, Deputy Governor of Edo state Hon. Philip Shuaibu, Director General of the NCDC Chikwe Ihekweazu, recently retired CBN’s Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor and Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, former President/CEO of Transcorp and gubernatorial aspirant in Anambra.
Hon. Agbo dedicated his award to constituents, “the good people of Ado/Ogbadibo/Okpokwu Federal Constituency.