By Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto
Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, has decried the rising cases of drug abuse among married women in the North.
Tambuwal made the remark at the inauguration of Occupation Therapy and Youth Development Centre for victims of drug abuse at the Specialist Hospital, Sokoto on Wednesday.
He expressed deep concern at the rampant abuse of codeine and other drug substances by married women, saying this posed negative consequences for the region.
The governor maintained that it was based on the foregoing that his administration swung into action by setting up a Task Force Committee on Drug Abuse with a view to curbing the ugly trend.
According to him, the Centre was set up to rehabilitate and manage victims of drug abuse in the zone.
“As you are aware, drug abuse is difficult to manage and integration of affected persons requires patience. That is why we established this centre for complete rehabilitation package for victims of drug abuse.
“The Centre will cater for the needs of the victims of drug abuse and they would be rehabilitated free,” he said.
Tambuwal to this end, commended the federal government for banning the sale of codeine in the country.
In her remarks, the Chairperson of the Northern Governors’ Wives Forum(NGWF), Hajiya Hadiza Abubakar, commended Tambuwal for establishing the rehabilitation centre.
She described the menace of drug abuse among the youths in the region as worrisome, saying this could jeopardise the future generation, if nothing was done to curb the ugly trend.
Hadiza therefore reaffirmed the commitment of the forum towards contributing positively to the welfare of the people and development of the region.
The wife of Sokoto State Governor, Hajiya Mariya Aminu Tambuwal, expressed the commitment of the state government towards providing succour to drug addicts so as to live a normal life.
“It is traumatising to see our children engaged in drug abuse. We need to get these drug addicts back to live their normal life.
“We should be vigilant about this drug menace. Parents should monitor their children to prevent them from indulging in drug abuse,” she added.
In his remarks, the Chief Medical Director of Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital Kware, Sokoto, Dr. Shehu Sale, described the facilities at the centre as world class.
He pledged to conduct training for the staff of the centre which included doctors, nurses and pharmacists to effectively manage the facilities.
