Deputy Governor of Imo State, Lady Chinyere Ihuoma Ekomaru, has challenged youths to protect their future by shunning drug abuse.
She made the appeal in her keynote address at a Drug Abuse Awareness Workshop organised by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Ekomaru said drug abuse is a social, economic and security challenge that had robbed many young people of their dreams, weakened family bonds and hindered national development.
She commended the church for leading the conversation on one of the youths’ most pressing issues.
The deputy governor disclosed that the 3R administration, in collaboration with the NDLEA, recently destroyed 26 tonnes of seized illicit drugs in Owerri, to demonstrate that “Imo State is a ‘no-go’ area for illicit drugs.”
She said the government is tackling the menace through the workshop’s theme, “Awareness, Prevention, and Recovery”, and through strategic investments in youth through the Ministries of Youth and Sports, Youth Development and Talent Hunt, and Digital Economy and E-Government.
To the youths, she said, “your future is valuable. Do not allow temporary pressures or the pursuit of pleasure to destroy the great potential within you”.
She also urged parents, guardians, and community leaders to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of addiction to the relevant authorities.
The Deputy Governor reaffirmed the state government’s readiness to partner with faith-based organisations to advance the health and well-being of Imo citizens.
Speaking on drugs abuse, and their effects, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Narcotics and Illicit Drugs Monitoring, Hon. Obonna Ezechukwu, x-rayed what drugs are, the types of drugs, their uses, the difference between legal and illegal drugs, and what constitutes drug abuse, submitting that “drugs can heal when used properly, but can destroy when abused,” and insisted that “our bodies and future are too valuable to waste”, hence everybody must reject drug abuse.
Speaking, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Owerri North Stake, Ezindu Iñeh, spoke on “the cost of a single decision, agency, and the wisdom of God”, and said the greatest tragedy of drug addiction “is not only the damage it causes to the body, but the damage it causes to the future.”
He however, advocated support for persons suffering from drug abuse and addiction, and thanked the Deputy Governor, the Imo State Government, and other stakeholders who made the event memorable.
The event which featured debates competition by secondary school students had the Deputy Governor decorate some students as Drug Ambassadors and attracted dignitaries including the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Hon. Stamford Nwokedi, HRH Eze David Onuegwunwoke.