By Yemi Akintunde
Nigeria, Ogun State, Imala – The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Ogun State Command, has concluded plans to establish War Against Drug Abuse, WADA Club in Imala Community Grammar School to prevent drug abuse among the students in the secondary school.
The State NDLEA Commander, CN Tijani Rabe, disclosed this while delivering a lecture on the theme, “Violence And Drug Abuse Among Secondary School Students” stressing that the anti-drug club became necessary to educate students on the dangers inherent in drug abuse.
He spoke in company with the State Commissioner for Education Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, who was represented by the Zonal Education Officer, Abeokuta North, Mrs Omosola Lawal and the Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Wasiu Isiaka, at the 5th Annual General Meeting, AGM, of the Imala Community Grammar School Old Old Students Association, IMACOGOLD, held in the school premises at the weekend.
Rabe, who was represented by Assistant Commander of Narcotics, Babadeji Lawal, said that the command planned to set up the club at the school to sensitise and caution students against the perils of drug abuse including brain damage, health challenges, lack of academic focus as well as crimes and criminality.
Rabe said that establishing the club was part of the command’s programme to engage some students to extend its sensitisation activities to the school in order to make learners avoid intake of illicit drugs or rid themselves of the menace among them to reduce bullying and violence in school.
He urged parents and guardians to closely monitor their children’s social circles to prevent them from getting involved in illicit substances and developing addiction so as not to engage in anti-social activities that may jeopardise their future.
He said ” We should establish a WADA club in this school and early next year we shall be coming to this school regularly to carry out the sensitisation. This place is a village we recognise the fact that probably no drug abuse activities are going on here. Starting from the grassroots to educate them is effective probably if these students know the danger inherent in drugs honestly they will not touch it at all.”
“Well the dangers inherent in drug abuse are too many; if you abuse drug you cannot be brilliant, you lose focus in your education, you cannot become what you want to be, you cannot be valued, you face health challenges, it causes a lot of societal ills and drug abuse is the foundation for crime and criminality and that is why we came here today to extend the sensitization programme so that if these students know the danger inherent in drug abuse they will not want to be part of it.”
“War Against Drug Abuse is a coined name by our agency that is spreading sensitisation programmes across all schools in different states in Nigeria. The reason why we are establishing it here is that it has not existed here before we have been here before to do sensitization but they don’t have a club, so for it to hold ground that is why we want to establish the club here this will enable us to be coming here regularly to come and access who are who are partaking in the WADA programme to guide them.” he added.
The Omola of Imalaland, Oba Apostle Moses Adelani Olabode MNI, commended the old students association for facilitating the lecture and other programmes towards the development of the children and the community.
Speaking, the President of IMACOGOLD, Pastor Sunday Odebo, said that it was high time the NDLEA established such a club at his alma mater to check social vices among the students and educate them on the hazards of taking illicit substances.
Odebo said that the old students association had embarked on the construction of a project of Modern Gate & Gate House and fencing of the school worth N50 million to stop encroachment by individuals on the school land and ensure the security of the students.
He mentioned other projects executed by the association to include construction of a block of six toilets and borehole water, provision of sporting materials, the acquisition of a 3-Phase meter and offsetting accumulated electricity bills among others.
The Commissioner for Sports Development, Hon. Wasiu Isiaka who was the Chairman of the occasion donated 25 sets of boots and 5 footballs to the school while giving his commendation to IMACOGOLD on the provision of sports kits to the school’s football teams.
Earlier, the School Principal, Mrs Oluwakemi Bernard-Oke thanked IMACOGOLD for its contribution to the development of the school especially in donations of projects and presentation of awards of excellence and books to the best students in each subject, overall best and the most well-behaved students to inspire them to strive harder in their studies.
