Everyone knows Aba for its bustling commerce and industry, but Enyimba City also once had an ugly side known for hard drugs. At York Street, addicts and peddlers reigned supreme. Until the last four years, York was where women were raped, phones snatched, and handbags stolen even in broad daylight by drug addicts almost on a daily basis.
Commendation must be given to the immediate past commander of The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the state, Mrs. Florence Ezionye who, with the support of then governor, Theodore Orji, ensured that the area was rid of the drug addicts.
On a recent check by our reporter, it was found that the addicts were gradually coming back to the neighbourhoods especially around Milverton where various transportation companies are located.
The activities of these addicts, The Nation learnt, are posing a great threat to business owners in the area. Shop owners lament the increasing rate of crime and other anti-social activities of the addicts.
Apparently worried by the increasing rate at which Nigerian youths indulge in drugs, including trafficking, which has ruined so many lives and careers, landed so many in jail, and in some cases the grave, members of the Nigerian medical Association (NMA) Committee on Narcotics and Substance Abuse brought students of various secondary schools in Aba under a roof to educate them on the harmful effects of drug addiction.
The essence of the seminar, according to the organisers, was to make the students agents of change and ambassadors of NMA and NDLEA.
After the orientation from the NMA, the pupils are expected to take the message to their peers, families, churches, schools and any part of the society they find themselves.
The message delivered by the state Commander of NDLEA, Akingbade Bamidele was clear: th agency will collaborate with anyone who will help to rid Aba and Abia Statre of illicit drugs and also rehabilitate people that are willing to give up their addiction.
Bamidele said the agency will not relent in its war on illicit drugs in the state, adding that the dangers of illicit drugs cannot be overemphasised.
Bamidele narrated how a boy whose name was withheld for security reasons reportedly sold his father’s two cars, a Lexus and a 4Runner worth N7.5 million for a paltry N350,000 in Umuahia, the state capital, due to his involvement in illicit drugs.
Bamidele, who spoke on the topic: Illicit Drug and the Law, explained to the students that drug abuse can make someone to do things that he or she wouldn’t normally want to do.
He said, “There’s a boy at Umuahia, that his father brought to us for counseling. He sold two vehicles: a Lexus and a Forerunner worth 7.5m for N350,000.
“Do you know why? The reason is because he was involved in their illicit drug trafficking.”
He further said that NDLEA will follow up the schools that participated in the programme using their special department in charge called Drug Demand Reduction Unit to make sure that the drug-free clubs are established, and also help in its sustenance.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Mrs. Carol Iwuoha, National Chairman of the Committee of the Narcotics and Substance Abuse of the Nigerian Medical Association, said the choice of starting with Abia was not accidental but strategic to the campaign.
Iwuoha said, “Basically first is that I practise here in Abia State. I’ve practised here for 20 years, so I’ve been here a while. Secondly, Abia is first on the list of the 36 states alphabetically and thirdly, there’s a lot of drug abuse in this state.
“The main idea behind the choice of secondary schools is that these students at their age now can believe anything. They can be easily carried away by peers. If we win them now they can help us propagate the message and that’s why we are saying that they are going to establish drug free clubs in their schools where they are going to share their lessons and be drivers to saying no to drug abuse.
“The desire to hold this programme came out from the passion for the burden of the NDLEA. They need a lot of collaborators and support from everybody. That’s why we brought the legislature here today so that they could give legislative backing to some of the fights we have to face in this process.
“The reason we had this programme firstly is to support NDLEA. As a matter of fact, it’s part of the National Strategic Plan of the NMA to take up social responsibilities of reaching people with health problems and social problems around us.”
Also speaking at the occasion, the Deputy Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Cosmos Ndukwe represented by his Special Assistant, Mr. Emmanuel Uchechukwu, advised the students to put the lectures into practice.
“I want to add a voice to what we have learnt here today,” he said. “I want to say to us, as good students of Abia and Nigeria, to put all we have heard here into practice. It was a nice lecture. We must not end the message within ourselves. Carry on the message and save lives.”
Dr. Nwachukwu Ugwunna, one of the guest lecturers, while speaking on the topic: Social Problems of Drug Abuse, said, “All drugs are dangerous, but some drugs are more dangerous than the others. Illicit drugs is said to kill an estimated 17,000 Americans annually. What does that tell you? Nobody is immunized against the dangers of drug abuse. Hard drugs make one socially backward and apathetic. Even those from more develop countries you may aim to copy due to communication exposure to their lifestyle, die of it. So why copy a path that leads to destruction? As adolescents, you’re in a crisis period and the only way to survive it is to avoid drugs in its entirety.
Lekwauwa Ebenezer David, a student of Dority International Secondary School, Aba, commended the idea behind the project and acknowledged what he has learnt. “This lecture is good for us. I’m sure most of us don’t use drugs yet and this lecture will go a long way in ensuing that most of us don’t get into drugs as we heard, watched and seen the consequences of drug abuse and most importantly, how people are lured into the act of drug abuse. Personally to me, I’ve learnt what to teach my friends out there. I wish the lecture will come up every month with different persons participating not just us here.”
Another student, Odimkpa Joshua, of Sacred Heart College Eziukwu, Aba expressed his feelings. “We are here to be enlightened about drug abuse. I can proudly say I’m fulfilled today because my head is updated with already existing, but new information to me. I picked interest in all the lectures, because they were educative. I can hardly pick a favourite. They said they will teach us more and I can’t wait to learn more and teach those around me.”
