Anambra state governor Chief Willie Obiano has promised to construct a modern rehabilitation Centre in Awka to control the increase of drug abuse in the state.
He assured that the state will construct a world class rehabilitation centre that will be modeled after rehab Centres in the US and UK where patients would be schooled to have value for life.
Speaking at the third Lady Victoria Chito Onyido/NDLEA Annual quiz Competition held in Awka, he promised to see to the actualization of the project in the life of the first tenure of his administration.
Governor Obiano, who was represented at the occasion by the Anambra state commissioner for education, Professor Kate Omenugha assured the state resolve to maintain being the leader in all sphere of providing basic amenities that will enhance healthy living standard for the citizen of the state.
Speaking at the third Lady Victoria Chito Onyido/NDLEA ANNAUAL quiz Competition held in Awka, he promised to see to the actualization of the project in the life of the first tenure of his administration.
Governor Obiano, who was represented at the occasion by the Anambra state commissioner for education, Professor Kate Omenugha assured the state resolve to maintain being the leader in all sphere of providing basic amenities that will enhance healthy living standard for the citizen of the state.
He lauded the programmes being carried out by the state commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA, Mr. Sule Momodu and reiterated the state government commitment to provide the conducive environment for businesses to thrive in the state, where insecurity will be a thing of the past in the history of Anambra state.
He said the state government will not rest on its oars to ensure that Anambra state is rid of all criminal activities and restore the confidence it long enjoyed where businesses in Africa are centered on the state.
In his address, the commandant of the NDLEA aAnambra command, Mr. Sule Momodu lamented the sudden increase in the spate of cocaine and heroin proliferation in the state,. But blamed it on inadequate logistic and provision of accurate information.
He appealed to the government to provide the command with up to date facilities and vehicles to enable the men of the command to meet up to their targets.
“2015 was a very challenging year in enforcing the drug law in Anambra state because of the issues I’ve raised on the increase in cocaine and heroin trafficking in the state”.
“The command had that challenge of executing all the operations, we wanted to execute, which is partly attributed to lack of enough vehicles, however, we know his excellency promised to give in January this year 5 vehicles, we hoped those vehicles will be delivered, so that we can addressed squarely, most especially the upsurge in cocaine and heroin in the state”.
H econtinued: “Last year, statistic of arrest indicates that demands and supply of cannabis sativa has reduced in Anambra state”.
“But however, the demand for cocaine heroine has increase which calls for concern, since the representative of the governor is here , we are raising this so that she can help us pass it on to the governor that the abuse of cocaine and heroin are in the increase in Anambra state and this is very worrisome” .
He stressed the need for the construction of the proposed rehabilitation Centres in Awka and other major cities in the state, which will serve as employment creation centres and sources of generating revenue for the state.
“In the area of rehabilitation, the command is doing its best, but however, the facilities we have is not adequate for effective rehabilitation mechanism”
“Let me quickly add here that. Rehabilitation centre is not a place for mad people , its not a place for sick people: it’s a place for people who have one reason or the other have deviated from doing the right thing”.
“People who abuse drug are not mad people and they are not sick people, In the process of rehabilitating them, we will create a decent environment for them to operate in so that they can have opportunity of seeing life from different perspective, that is seeing life from what life is all about, so that when they leave the center, they can go back and live a decent life”.
“Wherever the rehabilitation centre is situated, does not really pose a security challenge to the state, because they are not sick and they are not mad people”.
“People who are drug addict people are not meant to go to psychiatric hospitals because they are not mad and so we urge his excellency, the information at our disposal that in 2014 November precisely, he approved sum of amount of money for the building of modern rehabilitation centre which was determine to put up-to-date facility for rehabilitation project that I know the tender board has approved that project”.
“Appeal to his Excellency, that Anambra state will be the first in the southern part of Nigeria to have such facility, we all know him to be somebody who is always first, so we should not allow this first position to elude us, because other states are emulating, and they must not start before us because we started earlier before any states in the southern part of the country”.
“On this premise, I also want to appeal to his excellency, to actualize his promise of building a modern rehabilitation center in Awka.
He explained the economic advantages inherent in setting up a modern rehabilitation centre in Awka, being the state capital, which according to him would provide not only centre for health resptoraion, but will also serve as the sources of creating employment and generate revenue for the state.
“Let me also say that the rehab centre is a project that will also generate a little revenue for the state and even create employment and people are going to work there: psychologists, Doctors, Nurses, Cooks, Cleaners, and all other manner of people and people who undergo rehabilitation pains.
“I know of a rehabilitation Centre in Abuja, one month cost at about N200,000 to rehabilitate an individual in Abuja, if we have a modern facilities here, even the one in Abuja is not going to be compared with the facilities his excellency said he is going to build here , where we will be able to generate revenue for the state”.
“We plead and we know our plea will be taken to the attention of his Excellency”. He appealed.
