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NDLEA inaugurates special squads to tackle open sales, consumption of drugs in Abuja
NDLEA inaugurates special squads to tackle open sales, consumption of drugs in Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has inaugurated special squads to curb open sales and consumption of illicit drugs in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Mr Kabiru Tsakuba, Commander of Narcotics (CN), NDLEA, FCT Command, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
Tsakuwa said that the approach would be through dislodgement of notorious drug joints, arrest of drug dealers, seizure of drugs and prosecution of offenders.
He said that FCT was unique because it had an international airport where some flights come directly from drug-source countries and others from East African countries where hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, could be accessed.
According to him, some may find their way into the town, in spite of the interdiction efforts of the NDLEA officers at the airport.
“The FCT, by its nature, has high-income localities interspaced with low-income slums where drug peddlers can take advantage to deal in drugs.
“There are individuals that can afford to buy any kind of drugs of their desire or choice without having to bother in any way.
“These, among many reasons, therefore, create veritable opportunities for drug peddlers, like in other cities of the world, to trade in these criminal substances.
“Having said this, it is important to note that the command has been trying its best to ensure a drug-free environment in the FCT,” Tsakuwa said.
He also pointed out that the NDLEA has been engaged in combating the open sales of illicit drugs through two major approaches of “Drug Supply Reduction” and “Drug Demand Reduction”.
The narcotics commander said that NDLEA created these special squads to deal with actionable intelligence, as it comes in, with a view to curbing illicit drug activities through dislodgement of notorious drug joints, arrest of dealers, seizure of drugs and prosecution of offenders.
Tsakuwa disclosed that the agency had also leveraged on the existing relationship with the community to assist it with intelligence on areas where drug activities were high for effective control.
He added that the agency had intensified sensitisation in schools, churches, mosques and other organisations.
He said this was with a view to educate and sensitise the public on the consequences associated with drug abuse and trafficking of drugs.
“There is an existing collaboration with parks management and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in both information sharing and sensitisation.
“We have also strengthened our interdiction efforts at the entry points via well fashioned out effective patrol strategy.
“This is along the major entry points such as Abaji- Lokoja Road, Gwagwalada-Kwali Road, Bwari-Jere Road, Mararaba/Nyanya Road, among others, in order to check the influx of drugs that may want to find its way into the FCT,” he said.
(NAN)
The Kano State Government has inaugurated a 14-member committee tasked with reviewing existing education policies in the state.
Inaugurating the committee on Thursday in Kano, the Commissioner for Education, Dr Ali Makoda, said that the committee was constituted by the Kano State Executive Council to assess the state’s education policies.
“This committee was originally scheduled to be inaugurated by the governor, but due to prior engagements, he has delegated the responsibility to me so that we can begin our work immediately,” Makoda stated.
The Commissioner outlined the committee’s terms of reference, which include reviewing the four existing education policies in the state to assess whether they align with the cultural and religious beliefs of the people.
“Evaluating the feasibility of implementing the policies, and making recommendations to strengthen the state’s education system.”
He noted that the four policies to be reviewed include the Kano State Girls’ Education Policy, Kano State Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Policy, Kano State Non-State School Policy, and Kano State Teacher Development Policy.
Makoda announced that the committee has been given three weeks to submit its report, and urged the members to leverage their expertise to produce recommendations that would enhance the state’s education sector.
In his response, the committee chairman, Malam Abdullahi Dutse, assured the commissioner of the committee’s commitment to work collaboratively to meet the expectations placed on them.
“Considering the diverse expertise of the committee members, I believe the government has selected individuals with the right skills to address the challenges facing education in the state. We will work diligently to provide the necessary report,” he said.
The committee’s members include Malam Abdullahi Dutse (Chairman), Prof Abdallah Uba -Adamu, Habibu Dan Almajiri, Alhaji Danlami Garba, Kano State Commissioner for Women, Children, and Disabled Affairs Hajiya Amina Abdullahi, and Isa Ahmad.
Other members are Prof Tijjani Naniya, Malam Kabiru Hanga, Munzali Mustapha, Prof Auwal Halliru Arzai, and Dr Bashir Aliyu -Umar.
The remaining include the representatives of the Emirate Council and Civil Society Organizations, and Ibrahim Bawa, Director of Archives and Publications, who will serve as Secretary of the committee.
The U.S. Deputy-Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell, has extolled Nigeria’s partnership in the successful repatriation of funds linked to forfeited luxury real estate and Galactica Star Superyacht. (more…)
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated six Nigerians named by President Joe Biden among the 400 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in the United States.
This recognition, established by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, is the highest honour bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers.
This year’s awardees, announced by Biden on Jan. 14, are employed or funded by 14 participating United States government agencies, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
The Nigerian honourees include Azeez Butali, Gilbert Lilly Endowed Professor of Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa; and Ijeoma Opara, Associate Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences), Yale School of Public Health, Yale University.
Others are: Oluwatomi Akindele, Postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; and Eno Ebong, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biology at Northeastern University;
The rest are: Oluwasanmi Koyejo, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University; and Abidemi Ajiboye, Executive vice Chair of the Case School of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Case Western Reserve University.
Tinubu commended the awardees for their achievements in science, technology and engineering.
He noted that recognising the talents of the awardees underscored Nigerians’ vast potential to excel both at home and on the global stage.
Tinubu looked forward to the honourees sharing their multidisciplinary expertise to benefit Nigeria’s development efforts under the Renewed Hope Agenda. (more…)
Kano inaugurates 14-member committee to review education policies
U.S commends Nigeria over Galactica funds repatriation efforts
Tinubu congratulates Nigerian scientists, engineers on making Biden’s honour list
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