The Drug Free Arewa Movement (DFAM), a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) has appointed four goodwill ambassadors to help fight increasing drug abuse in the North.
The Lead Convener, DFAM, Mr Ibrahim Yusuf, said this at the inauguration of the ambassadors on Monday in Abuja.
Yusuf said that the ambassadors included Mrs Yadoma Mandara, Mrs Sakeenah Dawud, Alhaji Tijjani Jungudo and Mr Ameer Haruna.
‘’DFAM is a movement of young people and civil society groups within 19 Northern States and the FCT advocating and leading anti-drug abuse and fight against trafficking of illicit substances in the region,’’ he said.
He said that the appointment was imperative because if the menace of drug abuse was not fought Nigeria would not make progress in the five thematic areas of education, insecurity, health, good governance and inclusiveness and job creation.
“Statistics show that five out of seven women abuse drugs. This dreaded monster called drug abuse is robbing our future in the North, every hour a teenager experiment with illicit drugs for the first time.
“Urgent steps need to be taken against it and DFAM is aimed at taking the lead in reducing or preventing the use of illicit substances through engaging all stakeholders.
“DFAM started in Abuja with less than 10 members and has since grown to other northern states with over 700,000 members and we have also built partnership with other drug organisations and gained both international and local recognition.
“DFAM has so a lot of advocacies to emirs, northern elders and governors, CSO and other partners to lend their voices to in the fights against drug abuse ,thereby ensuring a prosperous and drug free arewa,” he said.
Yusuf said DFAM usually carry out its functions through community enlightenment, identifying and intercepting promoters of substances, constant public sensitisation and rallies, empowerment and monitoring among others.
“We have done a lot of activities in the 4611 words in northern Nigeria and we are already in about 3800 wards and this is because we want to actually get to the grassroots.
“The drugs been taken in Abuja are not the same drug being taken in the villages. What people don’t understand is that our farmers in the villages that abuse painkillers.
“That is why we have a lot of people having or developing kidney and liver problems because of too much of pain reliever.
“So because of that, we have to now move our work to the hinterlands through getting to the grassroots by wards,’’ he said.
Yusuf encouraged the ambassadors to use their influence to fight against drug abuse in the north.
The Head of Advocacy and Outreach, DFAM, Mr Abba Kawu, said the inauguration was key to a successful fight against drug abuse.
“The organisation has chosen you as ambassadors because of your various fields and the influence that you have in your different fields.
“The fight against drug abuse is something that has to be done collectively, hence, the needs to have this kind of engagements for us to move forward,” he said.
The Director of Programmes, DFAM, Mr Kolawole Jayeoba, congratulated the ambassadors and urged them to run with the honour by supporting DFAM to eradicate drug abuse in the north.
To this end, Jayeoba said that DFAM had line up activities which included the Tsaftaciyar Tsangaya project in Gombe, Niger,Katsina and Kano states,Arewa week,training of community peer leaders and outreach in the 19 Northern states .
Others included: Gyara Kayanka,drug and substance abuse prevention youth peer engagement intervention ,family based approaches for 1000 families ,university anti-drug outreaches ,training of voluntary uniform organisations among others.
“So we need that the Goodwill Ambassador to think about these along with their responsibility every time so that we can have a whole lot of work been achieved at the end of the year,’’he said.
The Deputy Lead Convener, DFAM, Umar Mohammed, commended the goodwill ambassadors for accepting the appointment.
“The message we want you to leave here with as our goodwill ambassadors is that we are saying yes to life and no to drug abuse,’’he said.
Responding, one of the ambassadors, Mrs Sakeenah Dawud, commended DFAM for considering them worthy to be ambassadors, promising that they would do their best.
“I know most of us here all we all have firsthand experience with drug abuse either by our relatives or friends and we know how that has affected their lives,” she said.