Drug Abuse: NDLEA partners Ondo SWAN to tackle menace among athletes

As part of efforts to fight the abuse of drugs especially among athletes, the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has expressed the anti-drug agency to partner with members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in Ondo state to curb the menace.

Kayode Mumuni Raji, the commander of the NDLEA in the state, announced the partnership during a walking visit to the secretariat of SWAN at Ondo State Sports Complex in Akure, on Friday.

Mr Raji, who was on a visit with the officials of NDLEA from the state’s command, expressed dismay at how drug abuse had cut short the lives of some athletes and also rendered their careers useless.

“We have discovered in our activities and research, that there is a very close link between sport and drugs and we discovered such a relationship can be positive or negative, we want to have a positive relationship with sport.

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“You (SWAN) hold a very high stand in the fight against drugs even without you knowing, we know the power of the press, the press has its power and authority and your own did not stop there, you also have the power of sports because sports itself moves the world,” he said.

Sensitising members of SWAN on the dangers of hard drugs, Raji specifically cautioned on the implication of taking psychotropic substances, which some athletes believed would enhance their performance but ended up destroying their lives and careers.

According to him, the move by NDLEA to partner with members of SWAN in the state would engender the development of clean athletes and sporting games.

“Anywhere in the world, whether football in this part of this world, some other part of the world basketball ball, netball, even in some other part of the world cricket. Whatever it is, you encompass all and we have discovered that there is a very serious relationship between drugs and sports,” he said.

Remarking, the SWAN chairman in the state, Segun Giwa saluted the courage of the NDLEA in riding out hard drugs and its abuse among athletes in the state.

Mr Giwa, who assured the commander of the anti-drug agency of the sports writers’ support, will take the message to the pitch in its enlightenment of the athletes.