The Vice Chancellor of Hallmark University, Professor Segun Odunola, has received the officers of the National Drug and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ijebu Ode division on an enlightenment visit.
While welcoming the officers, he informed them about the activities of the school in the prevention and abuse of drugs and the zero tolerance of the institution on drug misuse.
The agents of the NDLEA used the opportunity to enlighten the students and staff on the use, effects, and abuse of drugs at the school auditorium recently.
While introducing the officers and addressing the students, the Registrar of the institution, Mr. Afolabi Ajayi reminded the students about institutional policy on drug abuse and its readiness to collaborate with NDLEA to prevent drug misuse in the country.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Sensitization of Drugs and Drugs Prevention, Treatment and Care’, Deputy Superintendent of Narcotics, Bamishaye Loveth stated that, drugs are substances legally or illegally taken into the body that affects the central nervous system by acting on the brain and spinal cord. She added that drugs have the potential to cure diseases and affect normal functioning of the body and brain.
The Deputy Superintendent disclosed that over 255 million people used illicit drugs, with the range of 162 to 329 million worldwide in 2015. Noting that the majority of these individuals are from West African countries while 14 million are Nigeria nationals.
According to Bamishaye,” Over 225 millions people have issue with drugs and not all of them have problematic syndrome,this is not to encourage us that there’s no problem in abusing drug.Over 14 million people in Nigeria have problematic syndrome with drug.Generally speaking, drug use is the attempt to use drug for different purposes. Some people use drug because of the way they feel from the brain or spinal cord as they are the organs that control how we feel.”
“Harmful drugs like Cannabis, heroine, Tramadol, Cocaine, weed, Cigarettes, amphetamine type stimulants (ATS), sedative hypnotics and so on, cause memory loss, increased risk of respiratory disease and difficulty in breathing”
She encouraged the students to stay far away from drug abuse for them to avoid academic waterloo.
Buttressing Bamishaye’s speech, the Chief Superintendent of Narcotics, Nwobie Uche, stated that drugs take 145 days to leave the body. Adding that the abusers would have difficulty breathing for those days.
Nwobie counselled the internal publics of the institution to resist temptation, learn how to cope with stress, and relax without drugs.
The Dean of Student Affairs, Mrs. Adetola Olive- Adelodun appreciated the presence of agency staff and students.
The programme was tagged, “War Against Drug Abuse (WADA).”
NDLEA is a federal agency established to comb out illicit drug trafficking and use within the Nigerian society, and it operates under the supervision of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Justice.
