NEDC to partner youth ministry on fight against drug abuse

The North East Development Commission (NEDC) is set to partner with the ministry of youth to eradicate the consumption of hard drugs among youth.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the liaison office of the NEDC in Abuja, the Minister of State for Youth, Ayodele Olawande, said the partnership is important as it seeks to emulate the blueprint used by the commission to slow the rate of drug abuse in the North East.

The minister while announcing the launch of an initiative to curb drug abuse in the country, christened, One Youth; One Word against drug, commended the commission for its achievement in the region.

“I have been to almost all the states in the region and I can see your impact. Nigerian youth thrive everywhere but when those on the entertainment industry are seen taking drugs, they influence others too. That is why we feel we are one government and have a lot of things that when we come together we can solve them,” he said.

• NABTEB launches digital platform to ease verification, certificate collection
• Delta records 7 deaths in 138 cholera cases

Responding, the Managing Director of NEDC, Mohammed Alkali, stated that the commission has prioritised empowerment of youth in its activities, leading to the training of over 6,000 youths in each state of the region.

He added that the commission endeavours to provide jobs for those it trained to prevent them falling into bad influence.

“When we came on board, we found out that most of the schools in the region have been devastated so we decided to construct 18 mega schools in the six states that make up the North East with one in each senatorial district,” he said.