The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has taken its “NAFDAC Catch Them Young” campaign against drug abuse to Ogbomoso, Oyo State, aiming to educate youths and teenagers on the dangers of substance abuse.
Speaking to students at Ogbomoso High School, NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by the agency’s Oyo State Coordinator, Pharm. Sam Adeyemi, emphasized the urgency of tackling drug abuse among young people, describing the trend as alarming.
Adeyeye warned that drug abuse could lead to mental health disorders, addiction, organ damage, impaired memory, and psychosis.
He urged students to resist peer pressure, seek professional guidance, focus on their studies, and only take prescribed medications.
The campaign is part of NAFDAC’s nationwide effort to curb drug abuse and promote healthier lifestyles among Nigerian youths.
He said, “The NAFDAC Catch Them Young Programme is a comprehensive and coordinated intensive programme focused on secondary schools, designed to resudce prevalence of drug abuse among secondary school students. This programme is not designed to scare anyone but to have honest conversation with you, which will help you to take informed decisions with regards to illicit drug use including alcohol consumption.
“NCSC is one of the agency special public enlightenment strategies targeting the youths in the society in it’s effort to eradicate fake and substandard regulated products and enthrone a quality culture while employing the use of curting-edge technology to track counterfeit.
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“NAFDAC has taken the campaign against drug abuse to the grass route by reestablishing NCSC in secondary schools where we will in collaboration with the school teacher with junior and senior secondary schools students to catch them Young and prevent lives addition and destruction.”
“NAFDAC mission is to mould a future generations that is not only empowered to be upright but demand uprightness from others.”
In her remarks, the Principal, Ogbomoso High School, Mrs. Olajumoke Oyekan commended NAFDAC for it’s initiative, describing the agency as one of government agency that has transformed and save lives of many Nigerian.
She however said the sensitisation will go along way in changing life’s of students for good and remodel their life’s to become better person in the nearest future.