Anambra: NDLEA appeals for operational vehicles, proposes integrity test for admissions

Mr. Charles Onubogu, Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Anambra Command, has called on the state government and wealthy individuals to partner with the command.

He requested operational vehicles from the state government to enhance efficient public service delivery.

Onubogu appealed to a radio phone-in programme on the state-owned broadcasting service titled “NDLEA and You, monitored by a Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Tuesday.

NAN reports that the programme’s topic was “Factors that lead to drug abuse.”

He stated that the command needed utility vehicles to serve the public optimally. He noted that the last vehicle support received from the state government was over 15 years ago.

He added that if the command resorted to hiring public vehicles to carry out its duties, it might jeopardize the command’s credibility.

“The services of the NDLEA are key to the state’s safety in controlling drug abuse and trafficking; as such, they require partnership from the public.

“Security issues should not be left to the government alone. To effectively fight drug abuse, support must come either through the provision of useful information or operational vehicles,” he said.

He also stated that the national body was requesting higher institutions across the country to include integrity tests as part of their admission requirements as a means of curbing drug abuse in schools.

He explained that the goal of the integrity test was to control social vices in higher institutions across the country.

He appealed to the management of higher institutions in the state to consider the national command’s request for the safety of the youths.

Onubogu listed environmental influence, peer group influence, poor parenting, and availability as some of the causes of drug abuse.

He explained that environmental influence might arise from negative behaviours that were rampant in a community, especially among young people who could easily pick up wrong attitudes.

According to him, peer group influence is another factor that can turn a well-behaved child into a child who engages in negative social behaviour.

He added that poor parenting significantly strengthened peer group influence because children lack close parental monitoring and might adopt harmful habits without understanding the future consequences.

The Commander further stated that easy availability of drugs within children’s reach was another cause of drug abuse, noting that some parents exposed their children to such habits by sending them to purchase drugs for them.

He stated that although alcoholic drinks, being social drugs, should be consumed in moderation, he condemned parents who smoked cigarettes in the presence of their children or even sent them to buy cigarettes.

Onubogu urged parents and adult relatives to be intentional in their conduct before the younger generation and to always behave in a manner worthy of commendation.

Also speaking during the programme, Mrs. Pricilla Onyema, Chief Superintendent of Narcotics, called on parents to be very careful about how they raised their children from infancy to young adulthood.

Onyema, who is also the Principal Staff Officer, Media, Advocacy and Training, said that in the course of her advocacy work, many children disclosed that their parents sent them to buy sachet alcoholic drinks and even shared the drinks with them.

According to her,  early alcohol consumption by children stunts their physical growth and affects their social development.

She advised that such practices should stop, as they negatively affected the children’s confidence.

Mr. Chiedozie Nwankwo, a caller, urged the NDLEA team to extend their advocacy to motor parks, saying, “Many drivers drink and drive without penalty, thereby putting the lives of passengers at risk.”

Nwankwo said this was based on a personal experience in which he narrowly escaped death.

He appealed to the team not to relent in their life-saving efforts.

Vanguard News

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