By Kadiri Christopher
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| Some participants during the NDLEA Act Amendment Bill dialogue organized by SCGYI in Benin City recently |
A non-governmental organization under the auspices of SECURING THE CREATIVE GOLD MINE IN YOUTH INITIATIVE, SCGYI, has recently held a stakeholders dialogue on the recent passed Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Bill by the 11th Assembly.
Faulting the Bill which was described as hastily passed, the Executive Director of the SCGYI, Edwin Asibor said, "we in the sector have been raising our voices on the increasing rate of abuse of substances and drugs among young people articulately in Edo State, which havs assumed a very dangerous level. The negative impact of drug abuse and drug related crimes cannot be overemphasized. To curb this menace therefore, requires a holistic approach.
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| Prof Ernest Ugiagbe delivering his lecture during the stakeholders dialogue on NDLEA Act Amendment Bill in Benin City recently |
"While implementing our various evidences based on intervention to mitigate the negative impact of this ugly phenomenon, we were greeted with the sad news of the hurried passage of the NDLEA Act Amendment Bill by the 11th Assembly. A bill that is already before the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for his assent to become a law. In our estimation, this will further increase the punishment of people who use drugs as well as sniff out the lives of drug traffickers.
"We are not aware of some of the reasons why people use and sell drugs which we will be examining", he said
The guest lecturer, Prof Ernest Ugiagbe of the University of Benin, UNIBEN, said critically examined the root cause of drug uses and abuses, especially by the teenagers and youths of today.
While analysing drug and substance reduction, he said, "the prevention encompasses a range of programs, policies and practices aimed at reducing the incidence and prevalence of substance misuse for individuals, families and communities.
"Prevention is categorized into three types of strategies which are the primary, secondary and tertiary preventions.
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| A cross session of participants during the stakeholders dialogue on the NDLEA Act Amendment Bill in Benin City recently |
"The principle of harm reduction entails involvement of the society, effective prevention strategies, life skills training and vocation strategy, reading, juvenile mentoring programs, family based prevention programs, among others", he said.
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| A session of paramilitary participants during the stakeholders dialogue on the NDLEA Act Amendment Bill in Benin City recently |
Discussions and contributions were entertained from the participants who were drawn from Stakeholders present were the Edo State Ministry of Justice, Department of citizens Rights, and Directorate of Public persecution, Nigeria Police, Nigeria correctional services, Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), National Human Rights commission (NHRC), NAPTIP, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), the Enogie of Iguogie community, PWUD community, The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Lion Bar chairman and members, Police Duty Solicitor scheme (PDSS), UNIBEN lecturers.
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| A session of participants during the stakeholders dialogue on NDLEA Act Amendment Bill in Benin City recently |
Other participants include CSOs from SMILES Africa, International Youth Development, (IYD), Greater Returnees Foundation, Indomitable Youth Organisation, among others.
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