The Gombe State Government said it would collaborate with the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to fight drugs abuse in the state. The state Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Ishaku Abdullahi, stated this during an interactive session with the Presidential Committee on Elimination of Drug abuse when the members visited the state.

 

He said the Ministry of Education would commence sensitising students of both public and private schools in the state on the dangers of drugs abuse and addiction among the youths. He added that the state government would also introduce dangers of drugs abuse as a curriculum in its schools for the students to be fully educated on the harmful effect of drugs abuse in society.

 

Alhaji Abdullahi commended the Federal Government for setting up the committee to address challenges of drugs abuse in the country. The commissioner urged traditional rulers and religious leaders to support the initiative by sensitising their followers to understand the effects of drugs abuse especially among the youths.

 

“It is our belief that if relevant stakeholders give their support to the committee, the government will find it easier to control the menace of drugs abuse,” he said. On her part, the Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Presidential Committee on Elimination of Drug Abuse, Dr Mairo Mandara, assured that the committee would find lasting solutions to drug abuse in the country. Dr Mandara called on the state government to rehabilitate the centre for drug addicts, which was constructed in 2014 to enable the NDLEA rehabilitate some of the drugs addicts in the state.

 

She commended the NDLEA in the state and urged other stakeholders to key into its operations to make it succeed on its mandate and also urged the state government to establish similar committee to ensure proper sensitisation of students.