By Eche Amos PRO, Nasarawa State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development
The Nasarawa State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has organized a one-day sensitization workshop for students of secondary and tertiary institutions in the State on the Dangers of Drug Abuse.
The sensitization workshop which took place at the Nasarawa State Sports Arena, formerly known as Lafia City Hall, Shendam road, Lafia, on Friday, 26th March 2021, was aimed at educating and enlightening the students and the public on the dangers and consequences of drug abuse.
Declaring the programme open, the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Othman Bala Adam, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Suleiman Kasimu(Dan Buram Keffi), commended the State Government for approving funds for the programme, explaining that the gesture and programme would assist the Ministry in achieving its set goals.
Othman Bala, who also appreciated the participants for honouring the programme, emphasized that the Ministry would continue to hold such programme and other related ones as part of its roles to rid the society of crimes and criminalities, and make it a better, safer and more secure place for all.
He advised the students and citizens as well as residents in the State to adhere strictly to the message against drug abuse.
Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Primary Health Care, Princess Margaret Elayo, was full of praises for the Ministry for organizing the programme, describing it as welcoming and would go a long way in reducing the arbitrary intake of drugs, especially among young and ignorant adults in the society.
She revealed that living a clean and unblemished lifestyle comes with untold rewards, hence the need for the participants and the public to tow the path of a drug-free life.
Resource Persons who spoke at the programme, Idom Augustine Mogom, a Child Protection Researcher at the Department of Social Work, Federal University, Lafia, and Mrs Ikwo Uno, Principal Staff Officer, Drug Demand Reduction Unit, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA), Nasarawa State Command, while listing alcohol, marijuana, tramadol, lizard faeces, rubber solution and other forms of stimulants as drugs that are widely abused, counselled the students and public to stay away from drugs and its attendant risks.
They appealed to the State Government to institutionalize the subject matter in schools while it continues to lend support to the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and corresponding Ministries, Agencies, Parastatals and relevant Organizations in order to ensure full eradication of the ugly trend that is increasingly overtaking the society.
Leading the welcome address earlier, Director, Youth Development, Nasarawa State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Abubakar Ahmed Umar, said a similar programme will be held in due course in the remaining two zones of the State, which include, Nasarawa North and Nasarawa West zones, respectively, in line with its statewide status.
The Ministry’s Director of Administration and Supplies, Mr. Austin Mungo, gave the closing remarks, as he called on the participants to step down what they have learnt from the programme to their mates and members of their various host communities.
The event also featured a question and answer segment.
Student participants were drawn from schools in Lafia and Doma Local Government Areas respectively, including, G.S.S Bukan Sidi, G.S.S Shabu, G.S.S. Akurba, Hill Academy, St. John’s Bosco(Doma), JOFAC Academy, G.S.S. Tudun Amba, and Government Science School, Lafia.
Others were College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Lafia, School of Nursing and Midwifery, and Metro College of Education, Lafia.
