Marwa: One million patent medicine stores unregistered in Nigeria

Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), says Nigeria has over one million unregistered ‎patient drug stores.
Marwa disclosed this on Thursday when members of the committee visited Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, at the Government House, Kano.
“I am aware that we have more than one million unregistered patent stores in Nigeria where these drugs gets to the public.
“I am sure we will get to the root of drug abuse and put an end to the scourge,” he said.
He said the country must give priority to more than 14 million children currently out-of-school to get back to school, and evolve effective supervision to ensure that.
‘’We have gone round the country and documented our findings, and I am sure that President Muhammadu Buhari will fully implement the recommendations.
“Rehabilitation and counselling centres are few. We will interface with religious organisations and traditional leaders as well as examine the Almajirai situation and embellish it with Western education.
“The Almajirai, in the course of their study do other things that are not good for them,’’ he said.
Marwa, who commended the state government for its effort in the fight against substance abuse, urged Ganduje to establish additional reformatory institute in each of the senatorial districts.
Ganduje promised that all his new appointees must undergo drug test by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the state.
“We have made it mandatory that any appointment we are going to make as from May 1, from the position of Commissioner to Personnel Assistance (PAs), must undergo drug test to ensure good leadership.”
The Governor noted that the issue of drug abuse was a serious case which needed serious attention from all levels of government, adding that even most of the developed countries were still battling the menace.
“There is the need for all the stakeholders concerned with the issue of drug abuse to put hands together with the aim of finding lasting solution to the menace.
‘’Such as the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and other security agencies to tackle the menace headlong.’’
Ganduje commended the Federal Government for setting up the committee, saying it was a great step towards the fight against drug abuse in the country.
“We have given all drug sellers up to August to vacate all markets and move to a single market along Zaria road which is presently under construction by the state government.
‘’Most of the Almajiri roaming the street of Kano are not from the state, but from the neighbouring countries, they always find their way into Kano being the major commercial city in the country.
He commended the NDLEA, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other security agencies in the state for their efforts toward reducing the menace.
The Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi, said the fight against drug abuse by the youth could not be achieved without tackling it from the grassroots.
According to the Emir, lack of access to quality education is one of the major problems that leads some of the youth to take to drug abuse.
He said that if free and compulsory education could be given to youths, especially from primary to secondary schools, it would go a long way in reducing the menace.
Sanusi, therefore, called on the Federal Government to increase budgetary allocation to education and health sectors to enable people at the rural and urban areas have access to quality education and good health.
The Emir explained that such measures would go a long way in reducing the habit of sending children from one town to another in the name of Almajiri school.