President Muhammadu Buhari Monday, said that the federal government would review the National Drug Control Master Plan 2015-2019 with a focus on drug control and consumption.
Buhari made this disclosure in Abuja while delivering his speech at this year Children’s Day celebration with the theme, “Drug Abuse among Children: Addressing the Challenges.”
The president, whose message was delivered by the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, said in addition to implementing the plan and addressing the national drug problem, the government had since May, 2018, placed restriction on the use, importation and the sale of codeine as a cough syrup without prescription.
He said the theme of this year was deliberate in view of the disturbing reports that drug abuse has become a major public health and security concern in Nigeria.
The president, therefore, appealed to the children to avoid bad company, obey their parents, teachers, elders and constituted authority, even as he assured them of his administration’s commitment to providing the appropriate environment for them to attain their full potential.
He further urged them to say no to illicit drugs and safeguard their future, saying the government was very concerned about the impact of drug and substance abuse.
“We are desirous of building a better future for our children because children of today are the leaders of tomorrow and if we allow drugs or other ills to destroy our children today, we are destroying our future.
“As one of the interventions to ensure a protective and guaranteed future for our children, I constituted a two-tier intervention structure comprising high-level ministerial committee on the elimination of drug abuse for a coordinated response in addressing the challenges posed by Drug and substance abuse among the teeming populace.
“It is worthy of mention that the Presidential Advisory Committee is currently interfacing with core stakeholders, drug experts, rehabilitated drug users at all levels so as to make appropriate recommendations to government on interventions required to reverse this ugly trend,” he said.
