Director-General, National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof Mojisola Adeyeye,  has appealed to youths to shun drugs and substance abuse by cultivating  positive attitudes towards enhancing  Nigeria’s development.

The DG’s advice was contained in a statement released by the agency’s media consultant, Mr. Olusayo Akintola, on Sunday in Abuja.

According to the statement, the NAFDAC’s director-general spoke during the maiden Annual National Security Summit in Abuja.

According to the statement, the DG  stated that the country’s future was dependent upon the nature and quality of youth that it produces.

She warned against illicit drug intake, stressing that it was a threat to mental health and national security.

The statement also indicated that children who grow under frustrating circumstances are likely to develop psychological problems and are susceptible to dangerous habits.

The statement further stated that any society that seeks to achieve adequate military security against the background of acute food shortages, population explosion, low level of productivity, and high rate of illiteracy has a false sense of security and is self-censored.

It disclosed that tackling the menace of national insecurity required a balanced approach touching on all aspects related to the complex relationship between lack of opportunities, drug abuse, mental health, and others.

It said lack of opportunities, inequality, poverty, and mental health conditions were known factors that could push people into drug use.

The DG in her statement warned against the non-medical use of prescription drugs such as opioids and benzodiazepines and the use of amphetamines or new psychoactive substances with a combination of drugs such as cocaine or heroin.

It stated that the 2018 survey on drug use revealed that the highest level of drug users fell within the age groups of 25 and 39 years and regretted that the age bracket was the productive ages of any country.

It said cannabis was the most used drug, followed by opioids -which included tramadol and codeine adding that, 25 per cent of drug users were female approximately to 3.4 million of the population while 20 per cent of the drug users were dependents.

The health workers, under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Union, has said the option of going on strike could not be ruled out if the Federal Government fails to meet its pending demands.

A senior executive member and spokesman for JOHESU, Olumide Akintayo, has accused the Federal Government of trying to plunge the country into fresh health crises.

The union, in September 2020, had gone on a strike which was later suspended.

Akintayo stated, “There are lots of outstanding issues with the government. We have a pending five-point agenda. We are dealing with the non-adjustment of the CONHESS salary structure, implementation of several court judgments. Some members are also being owed salaries and have not been paid hazard allowances.

Strike is an option certainly; we are responsible and we are sensitive to the yearnings of Nigerians, but strike is an option.”

Recall NARD, on August 2 commenced a nationwide strike to protest what it described as maltreatment of its members.

On its part, NANNM has warned the Federal Government against pushing it to the wall while satisfying the demands of NARD.

The NANNM said it was not contemplating embarking on any strike but urged the government to consider its members while struggling to satisfy striking members of NARD.

The president of NANNM, Michael Nnatchi, said the issue of hazard allowances had been politicized, claiming that the nurses deserved the highest pay in the health sector because of the highest exposure to hazards.

The President of NARD, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, have stated that every medical practitioner, including nurses, deserved a better way.

He noted, “When you go to the hospital, you don’t ask to see nurses because they are always there. Everyone deserves better pay. They are more valued abroad. This is an issue of mutual respect. We all deserve better pay but nurses are more valued abroad.”

Meanwhile, efforts made so far to end the NARD strike, including the intervention of the House of Representatives Committee on Health, have not yielded results.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has since dragged the association before the Industrial Court based on what he described as failure of the two parties, the Federal Government and NARD, to reach settlements.

The President of NARD on Sunday confirmed to correspondents that the association had met with its lawyers and will be honouring the court notice on Monday

Okhuaihesuyi further stated “The Federal Government has at no point honoured our demands; the health sector is in shambles.

We have told our members not to be scared. We are going to court and until our demands are met, whatever decision is taken in court holds no water.”

To curb the epidemic that has so far killed 39 people in the last three weeks in 18 out of the 23 local government areas of the State, Sokoto state Government has Constituted three rapid response teams.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Ali Inname disclosed this to reporters yesterday in Sokoto while giving an update on the gastroenteritis epidemic ravaging the state.

Inname said the state government had stockpiled adequate intravenous fluids, drugs and other related medications which are being distributed to all the affected local government areas.

He also said the ministry was conducting a statewide immunisation against gastroenteritis as part of efforts to stem the tide of the disease.

According to Inname, 23 out of the casualties were recorded in the first two weeks of the epidemic, while the remaining 16 were recorded in the past one week.