Like charity which should begin from home, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has charged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other stakeholders in the war against drug abuse and trafficking to start the fight from the home front.
The UNODC representative in Nigeria, Mr. William Wu, gave the challenge in a speech at a one-day national summit organised by the National Association of Nigeria Drug Monitoring held in Abuja yesterday.
Wu said homes remain the best place to fight and curb the drug abuse scourge.
He noted that if there was zero tolerance for drug consumption and abuse by children in all homes, there would be no traffickers in the society.
He said the summit was a proactive step by the stakeholders in curbing crime in Nigeria.
“This summit of fighters against drug abuse and trafficking is very apt and proactive. The homes should be used as starting points for waging war against the menace through responsible parenting for children by parents.
“The act upon which the NDLEA is prosecuting the war against drug abuse and trafficking should be reviewed by making provision for more stringent measures and punishment for the crime,” he said.
He said the UNODC would continue to partner with relevant stakeholders in Nigeria to curb the menace technically and technologically.
In his remarks, NDLEA secretary, Mr. Shadrack Haruna, agreed with the UNODC representative that the fight should not be left to the agency or government alone.
“Concerted efforts should be made right from the home fronts to fight the war.
“NDLEA is trying its best to rid the Nigerian society of drug addicts and traffickers who, going by realities on the ground, constitute the largest percentage of criminals in the society,” he said.
