The Senate, on Tuesday, called on the federal government to establish rehabilitation centres in each of the 36 states of the federation for drug addicts.
The idea, the legislative house said, was to address the drug use epidemic in the nation.
The call on the federal government was made further to a motion sponsored by Senator Jeremiah Useni and nine other senators.
The Senate noted that with more rehabilitation centres in the country, addicts would be able to receive professional treatment in the short and long term, thereby, bringing down the rate of addiction and crime in the country.
“Drug addicts are seen everywhere on the streets,” said Senator Philip Gyunka, adding, “I have the strong belief that if the rehabilitation centers are established there will be less crime in the society.”
Speaking on the motion, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, emphasised that drug abuse negatively affected the productivity of youth, stating that there was a need to stop the distribution of drugs at both the wholesale and retail levels.
“This issue of drug abuse is a threat to youths’ productivity. There’s need to break the chain between the dealers and users as it is fostering crimes in the country. Security agencies should curb the distribution of drugs,” Ekweremadu said.
Commending the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Senator Joshua Lidani, stated that the motion stemmed from the Senate Roundtable organised in Kano last year, which shed light on the enormity of the issue in the country.
The Senate further resolved to urge relevant stakeholders like the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to key into the proposed rehabilitation centres, while, mandating its committee on Secondary and Tertiary Health to ensure that the federal government gives the centres the needed attention when established.
