By SINL Reporter
Honourable Francis Ottah Agbo, representing Ado, Okpokwu/ Ogbadibo federal constituency at the House of representatives has cautioned that Narcotics drug will destroy Nigeria, if the nation fail to tame the menace.
Ottah Agbo, chairman of the House of representatives committee on Drugs and Narcotics, spoke on Thurday last week when the Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Mr Buba Marwa visited National Assembly.
It would be recalled that the NDLEA Boss was in the House for an interface on how to reposition the agency to fight against illicit drug abuse menace in the country.
The lawmaker noted that the journey for the repositioning of NDLEA was timely, saying the alarming rate of Narcotic drug abuse have infiltrated into every part of our country.
“As a matter of fact, our major concern is to make NDLEA a well structured organisation that will have an unparallel level of efficiency in carrying out their statutory duties.
“We are aware that NDLEA is the only recognized agency that is Statutorily empowered to chase or fight drug barons, empowered to fight illicit drug abuse, we are working very hard, we will not relent, we will give you all necessary support you need to bring back NDLEA to its original status, to fight illicit drug traffickers and Narcotic addition in the country especially among our teaming youths.
“We decided to work with the secretary of NDLEA and then take up with a bill known as the “Police Trust Fund Act amendments bill” which is at the second reading in the House of representatives.
“The bill is to make NDLEA to be a beneficiary of the police trust fund when amended, we are working very hard closely with the leadership of the House just to amend “police” in the Act to “Policing”.
He explained that “NDLEA that is established as a policing institution with prosecuting powers, investigating powers, against those illicit drug traffickers, drug barons who are well sophisticated and they move around with archaic arms and we said okay, we have to solve these problems by putting NDLEA among the beneficiaries of the police trust fund.
“We will liaise with the EFCC and the federal ministry of justice to cater for the procurement access so that part of the money can be use for other working aids that maybe needed to enhance your operations.
“We are also grateful to Mr. president for giving approval to NDLEA to recruit, as more and more hands are engaged, the problem of under staffing in the agency will be solved.
“For us here in the parliament, we are ready to work with you, synergise with you, cooperate with you, because we know very well that the war against the culture of Narcotics addition have eventually affected all spheres of the society in our country today, the war is a dear one and dear to everyone of us, if we fail to destroy Narcotic drug abuse, Narcotic drug abuse will destroy us”. Agbo remarked.
Earlier, the Chairman of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa in an address said the Ninth Assembly has “displayed great interest, competence, support and effort” on the review of the NDLEA Act.
“This is a very important step to correct some of the lapses in an Act that was promulgated way back in 1989”, he said.
According to Marwa, the visit was intended to “call for urgent intervention from the National Assembly”, warning that, “Nigeria is in a state of siege today.”
Marwa raised alarm that the drug addiction scourge was largely responsible for acts of criminalities which has pervaded all parts of the country, and the outcome witnessed in the spate of insecurity lately.
“You have to be crazy to commit some of these criminalities, and what fuels it is drug abuse. Even the insurgents and bandits themselves, they take drugs before they go into their activities,” Marwa added.
