19th August, 2021
The Deputy Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Wasiu Eshilokun-Sanni has appealed to parents to help government’s war against drug abuse by ensuring that they prevent their children or wards from indulging in vices that may truncate or alter the attainment of their destiny.
He described drug abuse which is prevalent among today’s youths especially in the state as “destiny destroyer and a major threat to nation building.”
He said this is the major reason why the House of Assembly has risen against the vice by coming up with a law which makes anyone caught indulging in the vice as well as their parents culpable and may upon prosecution be sentenced to jail.
Esinlokun-Sanni made this known on Thursday, at the seventh yearly constituency stakeholders forum he organised at Lagos Island Local Government Secretariat at Adeniji Adele, Lagos, as part of Constituency Forum which holds simultaneously across all the 40 constituencies by members of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The lawmaker said drugs are chemicals which impairs the effective functions of the body and brain of an abuser which leads to loss of productivity.
According to him, pharmacists have discovered that depending on a person’s body makeup, different drugs can have different effects on people, and may lead to health consequences that are long-lasting and permanent and may continue even after the person has stopped taking the substance.
He said: “There are a few ways a person can take drugs, including injection, inhalation and ingestion. The effects of the drug on the body can depend on how the drug is delivered. For example, the injection of drugs directly into the bloodstream has an immediate impact, while ingestion via capsules or tablets have a delayed effect. But all misused drugs affect the brain.”
Eshilokun-Sanni further disclosed that millions of people suffer from illicit drug disorder, and one in four deaths results from illicit drug use.
“In fact, more deaths, illnesses and disabilities are associated with drug abuse than any other preventable health condition.
“The matter of drug abuse had long been a source of grave concern in Lagos State and the members of the Lagos State House of Assembly had debated on it and the need to curb the consumption of drugs in the State,” he said.
The Deputy Speaker said more disturbing is the revelation of experts who have established the nexus between the menace of drug abuse and rising incidences of violent crime such as banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery attacks and the likes.
The lawmaker said the Lagos State House of Assembly is proactive in the consideration of viable laws and policy that would enhance youth potentials and development.
He enjoined all stakeholders to partner with the Lagos State Government in order to rid the state of social vices by ensuring that as many youths as possible are taken away from the jaws of drug abuse that may end up wasting their lives and dreams.
The high-point of the forum was the extension of scholarship to over 100 indigent students from Lagos Island presently studying in various tertiary institutions across the country.