The Nigerian Government would be taking resolute steps to deal with the plague of drug and substance abuse, particularly among the young and vulnerable.
Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Investments, Maryam Uwais, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Minna, Niger State at the opening of a two-day stakeholders’ workshop to kick-off the initiative.
According to her the Buhari administration would be tackling the matter strongly through the At-Risk-Children Programme (ARC-C), an initiative of the Presidency, which would be implemented by the office of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.
Uwais, who is also the National Lead of the ARC-P, lamented the spate of substance abuse among young people across the country.
This, she pointed out has led to FG to collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the UN Office on Drugs & Crime and other relevant stakeholders, for every necessary intervention to discourage the evil habit.
She disclosed that with the support of the NDLEA, the ARC-P has created a national desk, which would be working with the state offices of the programme to create awareness among young people on the many dangers of substance abuse while putting in place support structures to assist and rehabilitate those addicted already.
In her words, “I should mention that substance abuse is like the elephant in the room in efforts to tackle the vulnerabilities associated with youth.
“We find too many young people, including women indulging in this unacceptable behavior even in our rural communities.
“Those who cannot afford the expensive heroine and cocaine quickly go for cheaper alternatives that are readily available. Interestingly, in the ARC-P, we have a very senior, experienced and vibrant official from the NDLEA, who has been accompanying us to engage youths already using illicit drugs, with a view to dissuading them from the unwholesome practice by providing them with viable alternatives in the form of skills acquisition to enable them to become productive.”
Her presentation at the event was on the roadmap and objectives of ARC-P, which focused on seven pillars strategically designed to empower the beneficiaries with basic education and life skills that would help them productively engage and take ownership of their lives.
On her part, wife of the Governor of Niger State, Dr. Amina Bello, expressed appreciation President Buhari’s efforts in setting up the ARC-P initiative, which hope would help address the plight of out-of-school children and vulnerable youth in the state.
According to her, the state was already taking steps in the direction the ARC-P, while being open to innovative ideas and so