The wife of Abia State governor, Mrs. Priscilla Chidinma Otti have advocated for urgent action to curb the menace of substance and drug abuse sweeping through the society.
She made the call on the sidelines of the two-day Drug Prevention Treatment and Care (DPTC) training organized by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for Governors’ Wives in Abuja. The sensitisation training aims to position the spouses of state governors as arrow heads in the charge against drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.
The national drug law enforcement agency-NDLEA charged the first ladies on the need to lead the State Drug Control Committees.
Speaking to news men at the event, Mrs. Priscila Otti noted that part of their resolve was a call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on substance abuse and drug trafficking in Nigeria.
Mrs Otti, emphasized the urgent need for the government at all levels to allocate resources to combat the growing menace of drug abuse in a bid to stem the surge.
She added that part of what they where charged to do was to enhance effectiveness in implementing rehabilitation programmes aimed at recovery for addicts; addressing both the physical and mental health of drug addicts as part of overall harm reduction strategies.
Mrs. Otti pledged to establish and chair the Drug Control Committee in the State and 17 local government arrears in Abia with relevant stakeholders.
Mrs. Otti also outlined plans for community outreach initiatives to support the NDLEA’s Drug Integrity Testing Policy, aimed at early detection of drug users and timely intervention to prevent addiction.
Additionally, she pledged the full support of the Abia State Government, led by Governor Alex Otti to foster collaboration between NDLEA and other security agencies to combat drug use and trafficking.
“we will establish a dedicated channel through which we can scale up gender responsive drug demand reduction and treatment interventions among female drug users who despite high prevalence, have very low rate of accessing treatment” she promised.
Mrs. Otti seized the opportunity to commend the dedication of the First Lady of Nigeria Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to the welfare of Nigerian women while applauding the efforts of the NDLEA, under the leadership of Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (Retd), in addressing the scourge of drug abuse and trafficking through various initiatives.
The wife of the Governor, Mrs. Priscilla Chidinma Otti, was among the first ladies decorated as Ambassadors for the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) by the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Muhammed Buba Marwa (Rtd.).