Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), Comptroller General, Customs
Drugs
By Lydia Ngwakwe
Lagos, May 18, 2018 (NAN) A Neuroanatomist, Dr Ademola Oremosu, has called on all government agencies at the country’s border stations to be more vigilant to stop the smuggling of hard drugs into Nigeria.
Oremosu, who is the Chairman, Lagos Neuroscience Group (LNG), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday that the increasing use of drugs among youths was alarming.
Cue in audio (Oremosu)
“Is an intervention that is possibly useful at the emergency level.
“First of all, to disconnect people from the source of the drugs but it should go beyond that because sometimes what then tends to happen is that the drugs will then find their way into the country through the black market.
“So, there is the need for a lot of vigilance from agencies such as the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control and the Nigeria Customs Service, to make sure that people are no longer bringing these in.
“For the addicts, they need to be identified and helped to go through rehabilitation, otherwise they would find a way of getting high on some other substances.’’
Cue out audio
Oremosu, therefore, urged the government to establish more rehabilitation centres in the country, saying that the existing ones were not enough.
He also called for more psychiatrists in the country to handle the rising cases of mental illness arising from drug abuse.
Oremosu called for the establishment of multi-disciplinary rehabilitation centres where doctors, nurses, social workers, and occupational therapists would worked closely to rehabilitate drug addicts.
The neuroanatomist said that drug addiction could persist for a long time if relevant stakeholders failed to address the issue.
The Federal Ministry of Health recently directed NAFDAC to stop further issuance of permits for the importation of Codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations with immediate effect.
The ministry explained that the directive was in response to the gross abuse of Codeine usage in the country. (NAN)
LED/AJA/YEE
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Edited by Adeleye Ajayi/Emmanuel Yashim