Imo Government Partners Security Agencies to Fight Drug Abuse.

The Imo State Government, led by Governor Emeka Ihedioha, has resolved to fight drug abuse through effective partnership with security agencies in the state.

This is stated by the Special Adviser to Governor Emeka Ihedioha on Youth Affairs, Engr Rex Okoro, while interacting with journalists in Owerri, on Wednesday. Okoro, who added that the abuse of drugs has become a call for serious concern, hinted that the trend is one of the most disturbing health related phenomena in the state.

He blamed the high incidence of drug abuse on the prevailing cultism in higher institutions of learning, saying government was ready to partner with the Police and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to fight the menace.

According to him, "drug abuse is beginning to eat deep into our young men and women like a cancer worm and the state government is not oblivious to this fact.

"That is why we are taking proactive measures by partnering with security agencies such as the Police and the NDLEA.

These pressing issues are top on the list of agenda for our courtesy visit to the Police on Friday".

Also, he advised parents to remain abreast of the activities of their children especially those in higher school while urging the youths to utilize the opportunities presented before them to develop themselves into useful citizens, reflecting that school years form part of the best years of the life of an individual and must be properly utilized to equip oneself for the future.

He hinted that the state government had begun the training of over 200 youths in the field of agriculture, stressing that entrepreneurial skills have overtaken the labour market of which he added had overlapped white collar jobs which is fast diminishing.

"Over 200 youths have been dispatched to Nasarawa State for training in various agriculture fields. This is because we realize that there are not white collar jobs to serve the employment needs of our teeming youths.

Entrepreneurship is the way forward. It has produced millionaires such as Innoson motors, etc. They never waited for white collar jobs; they got self employed because they were self reliant and that is what we want for our youths", Okoro hinted.

…NAN