Kogi govt. partnering in fighting drug abuse in schools »

The Kogi State Government is collaborating with anti-drug agencies in fighting drug abuse among students and making schools in the state conducive and safe for teaching and learning.

The Commissioner for Education Science and Technology Hon. Wemi Jones, FCIB IION, on Thursday received the Community Anti-Drug Abuse Advocacy Initiative (CADAAI) on working partnership in his office.

Hon. Jones reiterated the State Government’s determination to reducing the menace of drug abuse to the barest minimum in schools within the state.

He noted that the Ministry already recorded reported cases of illicit use of drugs among students and that the ill occurrence should be pushed out of fashion

“One of the menace we’ve suffered as a people is the abuse of drugs; it is crazy and it is happening everyday and everywhere, even in the very remote areas of the state; it is so bad!

“The effects are not just now, the results are gotten in full doses in a couple of years; it can affect the health of our youths and lead to irrational behavior among them.

“That is why, if we see an agency working to ensure that drug abuse is reduced to the barest minimum and pushed out of fashion, the Ministry is in full support of such activities.

“The Government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello is taking education as number one and encouraging promotion of welfare of students and good conduct; that would ultimately lead to academic excellence and success in our schools”, he said.

The Commissioner promised the unalloyed support of the Ministry to CADAAI, while praising the team for their upcoming programmes, saying the Ministry’s doors were open for effective communication towards attaining safety in the state school system.

He welcomed the group’s initiative, while inviting them to key into the Ministry’s School Adoption and Mentorship Programme, which he explained had already started yielding results for the state.

Earlier, the Coordinator of CADAAI in Kogi State, Mr. Cheniba James said the major role of the organisation is to complement the roles of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in educating students and freeing them from drug abuse, already assuming an alarming rate in the society.

He announced the appointment of the Hon. Commissioner of Education as the CADAAI Ambassador of the state.

The Director of Education Planning, Research and Statistics in the Ministry, Dr. Queen Animoku advised CADAAI to delve into unexplored areas of drug abuse and incorporate them to enrich their programmes.

Compiled by Modupe Adegboro.