Anambra first lady unveils campaign to tackle substance abuse

The wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr Nonye Soludo, has unveiled ‘Operation Clean Anambra of substance abuse’, to tackle the prevalent rate of drug abuse in the state.

During the unveiling in Awka, on Thursday, Soludo said the initiative became necessary because drug abuse prevalence has become a threatening menace that seems to have been approached with kid-gloves techniques.

She said the idea is that fighting drug abuse must be everybody’s affair, adding that the government alone, with its limited resources, cannot win the war.

She pointed out that the initiative has identified mental health as a key part of education and social movement and well-being of the society.

She said, “Drug abuse has remained a perennial threat to our homes and societies, consistently finding routes into every space of human habitation. What we are faced with is a pandemic of never-seen imagination.

“As the First Lady of Anambra State, these sad realities worry me. More so, as a mother who is desirous of fast and positive changes. We now have a new responsibility to tackle it head-on. It demands our collective efforts.

“But, most importantly, it calls for a mindset of change. A mindset that does not just think about the problem but goes the extra mile to find its solution. It is what we all are here today to figure out the way forward.

“Our idea is that fighting drug abuse must be everybody’s affair. The government alone, with its limited resources, cannot win the war. All of us here must get actively involved in the fight to reclaim our homes and communities from the roaring monster.”

She explained that a 2022 report by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime in Nigeria indicates that 14.4 per cent(about 14.3 million) of people aged between 15 and 64 years abuse drugs, lamenting that today, the number has grown even higher.

She lamented that it is disheartening that these dangerous substances have found their way into schools and into the hands of children.

“The illicit drug economies are booming to the detriment of our society. The proliferation of synthetic psychoactive substances is another issue of crunch concern. We must break down the walls of these illicit drug economies and criminal conglomerates and expose those who are running the lucrative criminal enterprises.

“Our communities have become havens for drug peddlers and manufacturers who use the element of fear and intimidation to silence the people who are willing to assist local authorities with valid information.

“Today we are launching what would be known as ‘the Healthy Living Overwatch’ which will play inter-dependent functions alongside local authorities like the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra Brigade, security agencies, and, of course, our great partner, the World Health Organisation.

“A few weeks ago, I visited one of the rehabilitation centres where our brothers and sisters who are dealing with mental health challenges are receiving care. It was a visit that opened my eyes to the realities of this monstrous problem called drug abuse.

“Watching our young, vibrant population held back and fighting for freedom from this avoidable danger brought tears to my eyes. That visit is one of the reasons we are here today. At Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo Initiative, we have identified mental health as a key part of our education and social movement.

“We have included it among the six pillars of our programme to help our people understand its critical place in complete human wellbeing. It is where we stand to declare that drug abuse must be kicked out of Anambra State.

“As a War Against Drug Abuse Ambassador, I’m approaching this task with every sense of commitment and passion. I’m dedicating my time and energy to this movement,” she added.

Also speaking in his presentation, the Anambra State commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Enforcement Agency, Daniel Onyishi, said Anambra is among states with a high prevalence rate of drug and substance abuse.

Onyishi lauded the first lady for the initiative, adding that the future of the children and the developmental good of the community is in everybody’s hands and the resultant effect, is the reason the initiative was created.

“Substance abuse has assumed a worrisome development in our society today and whatever that will be introduced to us should be implemented at our various communities.

“It is a very good initiative that we all join hands to clean Anambra of drugs and substances and take the fight down to the grassroots.

“We are trying to catch them young by going to secondary schools. It is disheartening that in every four that use drugs is a woman and every five suffer substance disturbance.

“We are here today to encourage all of us to join hands together with the first lady to tackle the drug menace in the state. We need to ensure that our youths are safe from drugs.

“Don’t see the drug as a business, see it as a crime. The reason for the increase in drug abuse is that people see it as business and encourage their wards to continue in it. We have many suspects in our custody that have drug-related issues,” Onyishi added.