The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has inaugurated a ‘Drug-Free Safety Club’ in schools as part of its campaign for a drug-free society.

The inauguration ceremony and campaign against illicit drugs were held on Friday at Government Secondary School, Gwarinpa Estate, Abuja.

The initiative is tagged ‘Catch Them Young’.

The NAFDAC director-general, Mojisola Adeyeye, said the idea was to guide students against social vices.

Mrs Adeyeye, who was represented by Paul Kamai, deputy director in charge of narcotics in the FCT, said many social vices occur in Nigerian society today, hence the need to guide the younger generation early.

“There is a high rate of alcohol and drug abuse in society. What we are doing here is just to pass this information to the young ones and to ensure they stay clear of illicit drugs in order to be reasonable and good members of society.

“We are trying to pass the information to the young, and that is why it is tagged ‘Operation Catch Them Young’—for them to stay clear of drug and alcohol abuse.

“We do this by convincing them to take a look at those who have fallen prey to drug intake and how they behave on the streets.

“Members of this club are expected to talk to other students about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse because hearing it from their peers will help ensure society is free from drugs.

“We are going to continue this campaign by coming to this school from time to time, and we are sure they will adopt the habit of staying drug-free,” Mrs Adeyeye said.

Ibrahim Fadilah-Tukur, the pioneer principal of the school, welcomed the NAFDAC team for the official flag-off of the club in schools while urging students to take ownership of the campaign against illicit drugs.

She said the safety club was a welcome idea for the school, adding that GSS Gwarinpa Estate shares the same vicinity with Gwarinpa Market, making it more porous and vulnerable to social vices.

“Already, we have clubs and societies in the school. With the introduction of the Drug-Free Safety Club, it is a good development for the students.

“Some of these students will be ambassadors for the campaign, and they will take the message to other students. They will also go out to the market square to campaign against drugs.

“My message to the students is for them to be good ambassadors of the school as well as good ambassadors of the club,” she said.

The Head Boy of the school, Victor Eugene, said some students were prone to the misuse of drugs, even as common as paracetamol at home.

He commended NAFDAC for the initiative, adding that drug abuse was becoming prevalent among youths in society.

“Any drug we see, we will confiscate. As far as this club against drugs has been inaugurated, we are like a junior NAFDAC, we will do our best,” he said.

Also, the Social Prefect of the school, Adah Victory, said her duty as Social Prefect was to enlighten students about different social activities in the school.

Ms Victory said she would use her position to contribute to the campaign and ensure that drugs are not abused in the school.

“I can also push for this campaign through letter writing to our teachers in order to invite other schools for a programme on drug abuse,” she said. 

(NAN)