Anti- drug advocate charges Tinubu to declare war on drug abuse
By Tunde Opalana
An anti- doping crusader, Mr. Sunny Irakpo, has charged President Bola Tinubu to make eradication of drugs use among the teeming Nigerian youths, a priority of his administration.
Irakpo is the Founder/President Silec Initiatives, Youth and Anti-drug Advocate, and USA Government Sponsored Exchange Alumnus Certified by the United Nations on Drug Prevention and Care Sensitization.
Concerned by the rate at which youths in the country are engaging in drugs, he want the President to fight this menace that keep destroying many promising youths, causing serious damages to the nation even on the international space by proving to the whole world that his personality carries a different approach.
In a congratulatory message made available to the media, Irakpo said his organisation looks forward to seeing an administration that combat drug abuse just like former President Muhammadu Bahari did by throwing his fatherly weight behind the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to launch the master plan to rescue the nation from the den of drugs and substance abuse.
He said “Mr President Sir, as a passionate anti-drug organization , we humbly ask that you prove them wrong by your open presidential declaration to fright drug abuse amongst the youths of Nigeria as you give top most priority to the vigorous war against drug abuse as launched by former President Muhammadu Bahari, under the leadership of Brdg. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), the Chairman/CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) whom through his gallant men and civil society groups such as ours, Silec Initiatives is driving the campaign against drugs and substance abuse in order to reduce illicit trafficking in the country.
“Mr President Sir, just as we worked successfully with your predecessor through the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), we are fully ready to continue the noble course with your administration in educating the Nigerian populace on the dangers of drug and substance abuse.
“You remain a progressive father-figure who will never allow drugs to destroy his children neither allow drug barons and traffickers to have their way to kill our youths and destroy the heritage handed over to us all by our forefathers under your administration.
“The NDLEA as the country anti -narcotic agency needs all the funding, presidential backing, policy framework and consolidation on the national master plan in the fight against drug abuse and Illicit trafficking to combat the drug epidemic in the country.”
Irakpo said on the part of the non – governmental organization it shall continue to play pivotal roles as a critical stakeholder by the deployment of expertise, working closely with the Federal Ministry of Health/Youths and the NDLEA and other critical stakeholders in the areas of research, education, talent discoveries, empowerment and sensitization as alternatives to drug abuse.
He said the organization understand the place of young people in national development which it believe that with Tinubu’s assumption into office , social reengineering and overhaul of the socio-economic sectors to create massive employment to millions of youths currently jobless leading to consumption of drugs should be prioritized.
“As a father, we also appeal to you to launch a reward system for hard working youths who over the years have shown resilience and total commitment to their endeavour and nation building. This reward system should come to youths in the streets, cities and villages across the country.
“Mr President Sir, under your administration, let hard work pay for the youths to help restore many of our national values we have lost to the get-rich-quick syndrome by all means engulfing the Nigerian system.
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“As an harbinger of light on your administration’s ” RENEWED HOPE “, we want to go to the streets energize the creative minds of Nigerian youths to fight passionately and creatively in the course of seeing the Nigerian of our dreams.
“At SILEC Initiatives, we see all Nigerians as critical stakeholders in nation building. We believe that the fight against drugs should take a centre stage in your government, because we are currently losing promising Nigerian youths and even future industrialists like Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Jim Ovia, Tony Elumelu, Mike Adenuga, Dele Momodu, John Momoh, Alibaba to drugs and substance abuse.
“Mr President Sir, many of our youths are wasting away on a regular basis. Please, it will gladden our hearts to see you roll- out a policy framework to combat this cankerworm with the 10th National Assembly,” he added.
