NAN
Mr. Olugbade Olagunju, the Secretary, National Union Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in FCT, says it is partnering with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the campaign against illegal drug consumption.
Olagunju said in an interview on Friday in Abuja, that the campaign would begin in Jabi Motor Park before it would move to other motor parks in the FCT.
He noted that the campaign was part of the NURTW objectives, adding that the collaboration would also assist in checking illegal activities in the area.
Olagunju said that the NDLEA had been assisting the park in the campaign against drug abuse by organising workshops to educate drivers on the dangers associated with drug abuse.
“What NDLEA is projecting has been helping us in the park; it has been beneficial to both our drivers as well as people within the park.
“We have more than 800 drivers in the park and we cannot control such crowd alone; NDLEA conducted a workshop to that effect in the motor park and we do not intend to stop the exercise.
“The union is also planning to organise more workshops for our drivers because we love our passengers,’’ he said.
Olagunju said that the union was aware that commercial drivers took prohibited drugs, adding that the drivers in Jabi Motor Park would not indulge in such acts.
“We don’t allow sales of alcohol and illegal drugs within the park; we value our passengers so much that if we discover that our drivers are into such, we hand them over to the NDLEA, and they will be taken to rehabilitation centres.
“We also conduct thorough checks on our drivers before they move out of the park so as not to put the lives of the passengers in danger,’’ Olagunju said.
He said the management would continue to ensure that prohibited substances were not brought to the park or any place nearby.
He also noted that negligence and illegal drug consumption were among the major causes of road accidents.
The secretary, however, appealed to the government to upgrade the park, adding that it had been abandoned for more than 15 years.
According to him, the FCT, especially the Abuja Municipal Area Council, should upgrade the park.