NEWS
FG Moves Against Underage Drug Abuse
By Edozie Obasi-Eze
The Nigerian Government would be taking resolute steps to deal with the plague of drug and substance abuse, particularly among the young and vulnerable.
Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Investments, Maryam Uwais, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Minna, Niger State at the opening of a two-day stakeholders’ workshop to kick-off the initiative.
According to her the Buhari administration would be tackling the matter strongly through the At-Risk-Children Programme (ARC-C), an initiative of the Presidency, which would be implemented by the office of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.
Uwais, who is also the National Lead of the ARC-P, lamented the spate of substance abuse among young people across the country.
This, she pointed out has led to FG to collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the UN Office on Drugs & Crime and other relevant stakeholders, for every necessary intervention to discourage the evil habit.
She disclosed that with the support of the NDLEA, the ARC-P has created a National desk, which would be working with the state offices of the programme to create awareness among young people on the many dangers of substance abuse while putting in place support structures to assist and rehabilitate those addicted already.
In her words, “I should mention that substance abuse is like the elephant in the room in efforts to tackle the vulnerabilities associated with youth.
“We find too many young people, including women indulging in this unacceptable behavior even in our rural communities.
“Those who cannot afford the expensive heroine and cocaine quickly go for cheaper alternatives that are readily available. Interestingly, in the ARC-P, we have a very senior, experienced and vibrant official from the NDLEA, who has been accompanying us to engage youths already using illicit drugs, with a view to dissuading them from the unwholesome practice by providing them with viable alternatives in the form of skills acquisition to enable them become productive.”
READ ALSO: NDLEA Adopts New Strategy on War Against Drug Abuse
Her presentation at the event was on the roadmap and objectives of ARC-P, which focused on seven pillars strategically designed to empower the beneficiaries with basic education and life skills that would help them productively engage and take ownership of their lives.
On her part, wife of the Governor of Niger State, Dr. Amina Bello, expressed appreciation President Buhari’s efforts in setting up the ARC-P initiative, which hope would help address the plight of out-of-school children and vulnerable youth in the state.
According to her, the state was already taking steps in the direction the ARC-P, while being open to innovative ideas and so
Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has dismissed all transition committee chairmen in the state’s 21 local government areas.
This decision was detailed in a letter titled “Expiration of Tenure and Handover to Heads of Local Government Administrations (HLGAs),” dated May 17, 2024, and signed by Collins Nwabunwanne, the state Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Community Affairs.
According to the letter, the directive will be effective starting Monday, May 20, 2024.
The letter read, “Following the expiration of your tenure as Transition Committee Chairman, you are hereby directed to handover the affairs of your Local Government Council to the Head of Local Government Administration (HLGA), in your respective Local Government Councils.
“This directive takes effect from Monday, 20th day of May, 2024. Thank you for your service to the state. All replies to be addressed to the Honourable Commissioner.”
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe was on Wednesday inducted into the Fellowship of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).
Biztellers reports that the investiture was performed by the President/Chair-in-Council of the NSE, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala, FNSE at a ceremony in Abuja.
Oguntala congratulated the 63 new inductees and urged them to uphold the values of their new position in their field of engineering. She highlighted that engineers have been at the forefront of driving progress and development across various sectors of the economy, notably in the oil and gas industry.
She particularly lauded the ES of NCDMB for his excellent leadership and expertise through the strategic development of local content and in-country value retention, which is a testament to his brilliance in the field of engineering.
Oguntala also applauded the strategic partnership between the NSE, the NCDMB and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.
Similarly, the chairman Board of Fellows/College of Fellows, Engr. Kamila Maliki, FNSE, commended the new inductees for their resilience, dedication, and contribution to the field of engineering.
He added that it was not a small feat to be chosen for the investiture due to the rigorous and thorough nature of the selection process.
The ES later was joined by the Managing Director of Setraco Nigeria Limited, Engr. Ziad Mouannes and Senator Patrick Ndubueze for the unveiling of the very first edition of the 2024 NSE Quarterly Magazine.
Some senior officials of the Board who accompanied the ES to the event included the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Abdulmalik Halilu, Director, Project Certification and Authorization, Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, and the General Manager, Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, Esueme Dan Kikile, Esq.
Before he was appointed the ES of NCDMB, Engr. Ogbe had nearly 30 years top-level career in the field of engineering in the employment of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), before retiring voluntarily to set up his private firm.
His last position at Chevron Nigeria was Construction Services Group Superintendent, and he oversaw 200 personnel, including Nigerian nationals and expatriates.
Other notable positions he held at the company included Offshore Projects Manager, Construction Manager (Lagos, Escravos -Warri), Construction Engineer (San Ramon) in California, United States of America.
On Saturday evening, armed soldiers shut down the popular Banex Plaza in the Wuse 2 district of Abuja after a clash between traders and three soldiers over a phone sale dispute.
According to eyewitness Okechukwu Daniel, the incident began on Saturday afternoon when a young military man returned to a phone shop, claiming a phone he bought about a month ago was faulty.
Daniel, also a trader at Banex Plaza, stated that the seller refused to accept the phone back due to the lengthy period that had passed since the sale.
He said “When the phone seller refused to collect the phone back, the young guy threatened him that he will shut down his shop for refusing to collect the phone, and the seller told him to do his worse.
“That was when he got angry and went to one of the barracks close by and brought two soldiers to come and harass the phone seller for him to collect the phone back.
“When the two soldiers got to the phone shop to threaten the seller, he still refused to collect the phone. The soldiers got angry and wanted to use force on him, that was when other traders came to the rescue of the phone seller and beat up the two soldiers.”
Daniel added that after the soldiers were assaulted, they went back to the barracks to gather reinforcements.
When they returned to Banex Plaza to confront the phone seller and other traders, the traders had already fled from their shops.
He added “When over 50 soldiers who were visibly angry got to the plaza, they could not find the traders that beat up their colleagues, so they decided to shut down the plaza by asking everyone to leave. Anyone found around the plaza was asked to do frog jump and other punishment,”
See videos below:
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NCDMB’s Exec Sec, Ogbe Bags NSE’s Fellowship
Soldiers Shut Down Banex Plaza After Clash With Traders [Video]
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