Sen. Ned Nwoko (APC-Delta) and member Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics says drug abuse is a crisis that demands dedicated infrastructure and focused intervention.
Nwoko said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
He noted that there was a clear gap in the system that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) alone could not fill, adding that this was glaring in the nation’s current drug response.
”The NDLEA’s focus is largely enforcement and interdiction. But what about sustained rehabilitation, grassroots awareness, school outreach, and long term reintegration?”, he said.
The lawmaker said that it was in view of this, that he proposed a Bill for the Establishment of a National Centre for Substance Abuse Management in Ndemili, Delta, adding that the Bill was currently before the senate.
He added that during his recent visit to his constituency, a student-led NGO approached him with a draft bill on the same issue.
“This is proof that the need is urgent and widely recognised,” he said.
Nwoko also commended his colleague Sen. Rufai Hanga, whom he said sponsored a “Bill for an Act to Establish the National Institute on Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation”.
He said that a one-day public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics was held recently on the Bill.
“I commend my distinguished colleague Sen. Rufai Hanga, for sponsoring this timely bill, and I appreciate every stakeholder who spoke in favor.
“We must act with clarity and courage. Drug abuse rehabilitation requires its own institutional framework,” Nwoko stressed.