‘War against illicit drugs and abuse must be a collective effort by all Nigerians’
Nigeria has warned manufacturers against the production of substandard drugs. The warning was contained in the message of the minister of health represented by Dr. Salaudeen Jimoh at a summit organized by Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Enugu Chapter, in Enugu.
Dr. Jimoh said that substandard drugs pose serious security and health hazards. According to him, those abusing drugs cannot be called criminals but those who sell and manufacture drugs beyond the recommended standard are the criminals.
“When a large number of people are now involved in substance abuse, the security of the state and the nation at large will be in trouble,” he said.
In the words of the minister, war against illicit drugs and abuse must be a collective effort by all Nigerians because it could lead to social vices like kidnapping, armed robbery and cultism.
Trading in the same line with the minister, Mr. Anthony Ohanyere, the Enugu state commander of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), expressed worry over abuse of not only illicit drugs, but drugs, considered naturally to be useful to life and unavoidable in sustaining life, were now being combined to produce negative.
He reiterated that the war against illicit drugs required the concerted effort of not just the government alone but as well as collective effort of all and sundry.
Mrs. Ojetokun Olajumoke, the South-East Zonal Director of NAFDAC), said substance abuse constituted social economic problems and reiterated that the agency has intensified efforts in making sure narcotics drugs were made available to only scientific and medical offices.
The Registrar of PCN, Dr. N.A. Mohammed, represented by the Director, Planning and Research, Babashehu Ahmed, said the Federal Government in collaboration with the council set up a codeine control and other related matters committee. The committee which is made up of NAFDAC, NDLEA, UNODC, Ministry of Health and other stakeholders would find lasting solution and recommendations to substance abuse.
Ahmed said one of the recommendations of the committee was sensitization, adding that Enugu State was the only state in Nigeria to have implemented such recommendation through the organization of a roundtable discussion on substance abuse.