BY TheCable
Senate President Ahmad Lawan says there is a need to improve on the fight against drug abuse in Nigeria, as it has become a hazard that can no longer be ignored.
Lawan is said to have stated this in a keynote address delivered at a public hearing on the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency Act 2004.
Lawan, who was represented by Ibrahim Oloriegbe, chairman of the senate committee on health, noted that the national assembly is also working to ensure the promotion of values that focus on national development.
Ezrel Tabiowo, spokesman to the senate president, captured Lawan’s address in a statement on Thursday.
“Equally important is that drug abuse has become a hazard. While we may often identify abuse with the youths, emerging evidence reveals that it cuts across all social strata,” Lawan was quoted to have said.
“What this means is that more and more people are resorting to dangerous mechanisms for escape. The consequence of this is multiple, as has been proved.
“We (national assembly) have severally demonstrated that we cannot allow the degeneration of our values, through drugs, and other substances, considering our concerted quest for growth.
“The bill before us is yet another attempt at strengthening the regulatory mechanism on drug abuse, following loopholes in the extant law. It also flows from the regular trend of reviewing or updating laws, after operational experiences, as a step towards perfection.
“The senate and the national assembly will always ensure improvements in extant laws, in line with our disposition to grow our democracy, by solidifying existing acts.”
On his part, Hezekiah Dimka, chairman of the senate committee on drugs and narcotics, said “the repeal and re-enactment of the NDLEA Act 2004 became imperative in view of the severe threat posed by drug abuse and trafficking on security in the country”.
He also identified drug trafficking as a threat to the nation’s security, adding that the amendment to the NDLEA Act 2004 was long overdue.
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