By Matthew Eloyi
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has called on stakeholders to join hands with relevant agencies and explore their wealth of experiences in order to combat the ugly trend of drug abuse that prevails within the North East region.
Gov. Yahaya made the call at the North East Governors’ Forum (NEGF) meeting which held on Friday in Gombe.
According to the Governor, the idea to hold the meeting followed the agreement that was reached at the previous NEGF meeting in Damaturu where the Governors observed the unfortunate development of the rise of drug and substance abuse, which propels the development of crime and criminality within the sub region.
He said the forum was therefore compelled to take a decision in order to reduce and eventually put a stop to the unfortunate development.
In that note, Gov. Yahaya commended the Governors’ Forum for the foresight and commitment to handling any detrimental challenge for the overall improvement in the living conditions of the people.
The Governor noted that the prevalence of drug abuse in Nigeria and its negative impact on public health and safety necessitate the need for all hands to be on deck in order to curtail the challenge.
He stressed that community schools, religious bodies and voluntary organisations, must embark on drug abuse enlightenment, treatment and prevention campaigns in order to stop the ugly trend, adding that “There is no better time than now for all relevant stakeholders to rise and join the crusade to make our region and Nigeria a better and safer place of living, especially for the youths, who are the leaders of tomorrow.”