By Haruna Salami
A Bill for an Act to Establish National Institute on Drugs Awareness and Rehabilitation has received great support from stakeholders from security, health and drugs administration.
This followed a public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics on “A Bill for an Act to Establish National Institute on Drugs Awareness and Rehabilitation Bill 2024 (HB449)”.
Chairman of the committee Senator Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe North) said over 34 individuals and organisations presented memoranda and appeared before the committee.
Representative of the Nigerian Army (NA), Lt. Col. Majeri, a psychiatrist said the Army supports the establishment of another agency that will take care of research and rehabilitation of victims of drug abuse.
He suggested that the NA should be on the board of the institute when established because the insurgency war going in the country requires a focus on research, which the experience of the Army will be invaluable.
Speaking in a similar vein, representative of the Nigerian Navy said drug abuse by the youths is a major problem, adding that the security challenge in some parts of the country affects mental health.
“Nigerian Navy is in support of this bill any the military must be on the board when the bill is passed into law”.
One the strongest supporters of the bill, Dr. Christabel Okoye, the executive secretary of National Association on Nigerian Drug Monitoring (NANDROM), who also has a rehabilitation centre said the country needs rehabilitation center, especially this new one that’s coming up.
She said as somebody who has worked in this area for many years, her candid view about the proposed law is that it will be the best thing that will ever happen to Nigeria in that area because so many of our youths are gone gaga, so many youths are into drug abuse.
“We need more rehabilitation centres in this country; even if there will be up to 1,000. This is an area I have passion. So, I know what we are seeing in this nation. You look at destruction everywhere, violence everywhere, youths are no more concentrating due to drug abuse.
She said “we keep sensitizing and talking to them. At the end of the day, because we are not many, how many of us have rehabilitation in this country? We have few rehabilitation centers in this country, very few, compared to the number of people we have in this country. We are over 200 million. And we have less than 200 functional rehabilitation centers. So it is a very good one.
On NDLEA opposition to the proposed law, Mr. Haruna, who represents the agency said that they don’t need this institute, that they can take care of all these things.
However, Mrs. Christabel said the NDLEA have been here fighting, they’ve been working on this. From what Senator Hanga said, when this institution is established, it will be under the NDLEA. “So, I think that’s what makes everything beautiful.
“The NDLEA doesn’t want distraction, not that they’re fighting the bill. They don’t want distraction at all. From all indications, the NDLEA and other stakeholders can still work together if this law is passed?
Many rehabilitations centres can come together and work together, especially this new one that the senators are interested in.
You know what it means. When all the senators are saying this thing is good, they will put in their strength, they will put in money, they will empower it. It is very crucial. It is very good for us as a nation.
In his remarks, Senator Dankwabo, who presided at the public hearing assured the stakeholders that the Senate under Godswill Akpabio will consider their views as expressed in their oral and written memoranda in enriching the proposed law.