Ololade Adeyanju/
The war against the use of narcotics and other dangerous drugs amongst the youths by the Federal Government may be difficult to win until Nigerian mothers rediscover their pivotal role in nation-building starting with maintaining a God-fearing home.
That was the submission of the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye in her message to Nigerian mothers to commemorate International Women Day 2021 in Abuja.
She said mothers should endeavour to be vigilant by paying more than passing attention to their children’s wellbeing and the kind of friends they keep both in and out of school. She stressed that many children from God-fearing homes join bad gangs through the bad company they keep in school.
Prof Adeyeye, in a statement by NAFDAC Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola today noted that the role of mothers in the home cannot be over-emphasized. She said the Nigerian mother had always been closest to the children since the father was more often than not out there working tirelessly to provide for the needs of the family.
She, however, urged the mothers to always pay more attention to their children and be more concerned about the kind of friends they keep away from home, adding that many of the Nigerian youths from good homes become addicted to narcotics and other dangerous drugs due to the care-free attitude of their parents, particularly, the mothers.
The NAFDAC boss noted that the Narcotics and other allied drugs directorate of the Agency has been strengthened and empowered to enforce extant laws against the use of narcotics and other dangerous drugs by youths.
She noted with dismay the preponderance of secret cults in the nation’s tertiary institutions, stressing that many of our undergraduates are introduced to dangerous drugs and bad behaviours as members of the cult groups.
She also blamed the uncontrolled influx of narcotics and other dangerous drugs which negatively impacted the society in terms of public health and safety, security, and terrorism on the absence of NAFDAC at the nation’s ports from 2011 by the order of the then minister of finance.
‘’The challenge of internal security within the country was traced to the uncontrolled influx and use of psychotropic medicines such as tramadol and chemicals that could be diverted for terrorist activities,’’ she said, adding that NAFDAC’s absence at the ports was highlighted as one of the factors and as such there was a dire need to return the agency back to the ports in 2018 as part of the efforts at strengthening regulation and control at the Ports shortly after she resumed office as DG NAFDAC.
Prof. Adeyeye urged mothers to lay less emphasis on acquisition of worldly things at the expense of the future of their children. According to her, many mothers would leave home as early as 5 am and would not return home until 9pm under the guise of looking for money, exposing their children to the whims and caprices of youths of different shades and colours in the neighbourhood.
She commended the Nigerian women for being resilient, industrious, and caring, adding that they have contributed immensely to the development and growth of the nation’s economy.
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