Babafemi emphasized that NDLEA’s efforts were now focused on addressing the root causes of drug abuse and illicit trafficking, rather than just surface-level interventions.
He noted that substance abuse issues were prevalent across communities in Nigeria but highlighted that increased awareness and advocacy efforts had helped significantly reduce these challenges.
He underscored the widespread awareness campaigns taking place nationwide as crucial in combating substance abuse effectively.
“That’s why the agency brought on board the War Aganist Drug Abuse (WADA) initiatives to mobilise everybody, be you, families, Faith based Organisations, community, all strata of the society to get involved in this whole thing.
“We are having three new model rehabilitation center coming up this year which will be commissioned very soon.
“This shows you that the leadership of this country is well informed about the problems of drugs in Nigeria and he is giving great support to NDLEA .
“We are glad about that and the partnership the agency is having with other organisations and institutions.
“Drug abuse is a global challenge. We don’t have time to waste and that’s why we are running faster and driving hard to ensure that we respond to the global challenge, “he said.
President Bola Tinubu had launched the “Save Our Families Campaign” initiative on June 26, aimed at intensifying the battle against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
Mr. Babafemi emphasized the importance of parents taking responsibility for raising their children, underscoring the agency’s distribution of thousands of test kits for use at home and in offices.
He highlighted that these test kits enable individuals to check for drug use without needing to visit a facility, similar to how people can test for conditions like diabetes or pregnancy from the comfort of their homes.
This approach aims to empower families and workplaces in identifying and addressing substance abuse issues early on.
“Don’t forget that the family is the smallest unit of the society and more often than not, that’s where some of these problems start from.
“So if we are trying to get to the bottom of it and to solve the situation, we also have to go back to the family level to get, moblise parent, to get them to start parenting , to take ownership of the upbringing of their children.
“Parent need to be intentional in parenting. We have definitely gone beyond that and apart from that, you have also seen that NDLEA keeps coming up everyday and every time with new strategy.
“We simplify the process so that parents can now get their homes to check whether their kids are into substance abuse. This is for early detection.
“When you discover it early, you can then quickly seek help because at the early stages of substance abuse, it’s easier to tackle to treat than when it becomes a state of addiction, then it becomes very complex and complicated.
“That is to show that indeed we are making progress. One of the things the “save our families campaign” solve is Prevention, “he said
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