WorldStage Newsonline– The National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Thursday made a case for the creation of a platform that will assist the youths to effectively prepare themselves for leadership positions.
The Director of NOA in Edo, Mrs Grace Eseka who made the advocacy at a forum in Benin with the theme of the forum was “Security Sensitisation and Orientation Campaign against Political Thuggery, Kidnapping and Drug Addiction, said the political class and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should collaborate and develop an institutional framework that would provide youths the opportunity to get proper training for leadership positions.
According to her, such a platform will afford youths the opportunity to be trained and retrained to enable them to assume leadership positions at various levels in their parties.
Eseka described youths as an important vehicle for democratic growth of any nation, adding, “all efforts must be geared towards wrestling them from drug abuse and other vices,”
She appealed to the political class not to “use and dump our youths,” but to make them more resourceful and responsible.
The NOA director appealed to the youths not to offer themselves to be used as thugs during the 2019 general election but to see themselves as vanguards of unity and development.
Mr Usman Suleiman, Assistant Commander, Admin and Logistics, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Edo Command, said drug abuse had very serious consequences on nations experiencing it.
Suleiman, who spoke on the topic “Drug Abuse and Its Effects on Society,’’ said all over the world, there was a strong correlation between drugs and crimes.
“The use of illicit drugs enables criminals to acquire boldness and recklessness they need for their operations.
“Drug deadens the conscience of the user, takes away rationale and logical reasoning, kills passions and compassion and makes the user fearless.’’
Suleiman said that tackling drug trafficking and abuse was imperative if the country must reduce the rate of crimes and other social vices bedeviling her.
He called for collaborative efforts of all stakeholders in the fight against drug and expansion of the health sector to cater for drug-related problems.
The state Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Johnson Kukumo, in his paper, “Political Thuggery, Kidnapping and Related Crimes,” said current level of awareness and resentment against drugs in the state was encouraging.
Represented by ACP Ayo Faniyan, the CP said “I am happy that in recent times security agencies, especially the police, have witnessed an increase in cooperation by members of the public to fight crime.
“I am sure you know that the Nigeria police has in place specialised sections to combat kidnapping, human trafficking, cultism and other related crimes.
“As far as political thuggery is concerned, the force is gearing up for the coming elections in terms of training and equipment of our personnel,” he said.
