SOLUDO'S GOAL IS TO MAKE ANAMBRA LICIT DRUG HUB OF WEST AFRICA - MEFOR
_By Rose Oranye_
The Solution Government, under the leadership of Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, is working with relevant stakeholders to position the state as the licit drug headquarters of West Africa through tighter regulation and a stronger partnership with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr. Law Mefor, stated this during a courtesy visit to the State Commandant, NDLEA, Anambra State, Charles O. Onubuogu, at his office in Awka.
Dr. Mefor, who was accompanied by the former Managing Director, Anambra State Civic and Social Reformation Office (ANCISRO), Sir Chuka Nnabuife, said the move was part of the ministry's response to what he described as a “clear and present danger” of drug abuse affecting youths across the 179 communities in the state.
He noted that the rebranding of his ministry to include value reorientation was deliberate because drug abuse has become a major driver of crime.
“It would be a miracle to find one community in Anambra where drugs are not sold. Every community has a spot. Sometimes it is open, sometimes it is under the table,” he said.
He decried the shift from Indian hemp to more dangerous substances such as Tramadol, crystal meth ( mkpuru mmiri), observing that the drugs are cheap, lethal, and capable of destroying a young person after just one trial.
To tackle the menace, he proposed a three-point partnership with NDLEA built on education and sensitisation, enforcement, and alternative development, pointing out that the ministry will push aggressive campaigns to educate the people, while enforcement will be based on the Anambra Homeland Security Law 2025, which provides for forfeiture of properties used for crime, even as Agunechemba, the state vigilante group will lend support.
On Alternative Development, the Commissioner explained that Anambra wants to key into NDLEA’s national program that helps willing dealers quit and start legitimate businesses. “We want to launch it as a massive statewide event to celebrate those who have turned a new leaf,” he stated.
He further disclosed that the drug hub being developed at Oba by the Soludo administration to become the biggest drug wholesale market in West Africa, will eliminate fake and expired drugs through full regulation.
“ Governor Soludo's goal is clear: to make Anambra the licit drug hub of West Africa, not the illicit one,” Dr. Mefor said.
Responding, the NDLEA State Commandant, Onubuogu, welcomed the proposal and pledged full support, saying the Alternative Development Program has already been launched in Ondo, Ogun and Lagos, and advised the state to write to NDLEA Headquarters to invite the team.
In a vote of thanks, Sir Chuka Nnabuife, who described the anti-drug fight as a “labour of passion” for the good of society, commended the NDLEA's Training, Media and Advocacy Officer, for consistently projecting the agency’s work, and urged that the partnership be broadened for maximum impact.
“ The 179 communities in the state are suffering. You are the teeth of society meant to grip them. While advocacy is necessary, enforcement is your job. We will help you make that job easier,” he said.
More photos below.
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