From: Agaju Madugba, Katsina
Apparently disturbed by reported increasing incidences of drug abuse in the state, the Katsina State Government has built a rehabilitation centre for the rehabilitation and reformation of drug addicts and offenders.
According to the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, the centre located within the premises of the state command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), is expected to be commissioned soon.
Inuwa spoke, on Thursday, at a workshop on “Phenomenon of youth restiveness and drug abuse in Katsina State,” organised by the Peace Builders Security Concepts, in collaboration with the state government.
According to Inuwa, “concerned about the increase in drugs abuse, the state government had in 2016 constituted a joint task force which arrested major drug dealers and as a result of which the rate of drugs supply and abuse in the state reduced drastically.
“This workshop provides for government a sense of encouragement to improve on its existing programmes and policies aimed at curbing the menace of drugs abuse in the state.”
Inuwa also attributed the the high rate of drug abuse and crimes to parents who fail to have limited numbers of children they can conveniently train.
As he put it, “people have to address the issue of raising children they cannot maintain, especially the lower level people. There is the case of six low level civil servants in my office who have a total of 102 children.
“Parents are expected to provide education for their children but what happens in a situation where one person alone has 27 children? It does not even make any sense if you provide such a person with a two-bedroom flat.”
In a paper he presented at the programme, Prof. Ismaila Tsiga of the Bayero University, Kano State, advocated what he described as reformation of the Almajirai system of education in the north, to make it more relevant in a modern world.
According to Tsiga, “Government should take steps to implement the Universal Basic Education Act of 2014 which makes provision for free and compulsory primary education.
“Some of us Ade beneficiaries of the old Native Authority system which made it compulsory for every parent to send his children to school and parents who defaulted were prosecuted.”