Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Tuesday urged parents, guardians and caregivers to watch out for signs of drug abuse and addiction in their children and wards to tackle it fast.
Ambode said on Tuesday that drug abuse was harmful to its
victims and threaten the peace of the society, The Nation reports.
The governor spoke at the inauguration of the Christ Against
Drug Abuse Ministry (CADAM) Rehabilitation Centre of the Redeemed Christian
Church of God (RCCG), Araga-Epe in Lagos
He said that it was important for parents to be vigilant as
drug addicts could be easily lured into crime which would ultimately threaten
the development of any society.
“Let me use this opportunity to implore parents, guardians
and caregivers to be vigilant in order to detect early signs of drug addiction
in their children and seek help from appropriate quarters before it gets
complicated.
”On our part as a government, we shall continue to take
preventive measures through public campaign programmes, especially among our
youths so that they are adequately informed on the dangers of drug abuse, ” he
said.
Ambode hailed the General Overseer of RCCG Worldwide, Pastor
Enoch Adeboye, and his wife, Folu, for
joining in the fight against the menace.
He promised that the state government would support the
initiative to achieve the desired aims.
”CADAM has, on its own, with it own resources, picked up,
fed, sheltered, treated and rehabilitated many people who have been addicted to
drugs, and given them a new life.
”I am optimistic that many lives that had been compromised
as a result of drug addiction will be redeemed, stabilised and given a new hope
for a better and meaningful future, ” he said.
Earlier, Pastor Adebayo,
represented by his wife, said that the CADAM initiative was founded in
1991 by Pastor Ezekiel Odeyemi, a Special Assistant to the General Overseer of
RCCG.
She said that it started as a department in the RCCG to
visit homes of addiction victims and hospitals to pray and minister to their
physical needs.
According to her, the name was changed in 1996 to enable a
wider dimension as well as remove stigma associated with addiction – stigma
directed at the addicts and their families.
“Since inception, the centre has assisted more than 2,000
beneficiaries, most of whom have become professionals and well-to-do persons in
the society.
“Over N200 million has been spent so far to put up the
facilities.
“The centre will soon commence full implementation of
educational and skill acquisition programmes for empowerment, ” she said.
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