The Vice-Chancellor of University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale has declared that the institution will collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, to fight drug abuse.
Adebowale made this declaration while receiving the NDLEA State Commander, Olayinka Joe-Fadile, during a courtesy visit on Wednesday.
The VC pledged that the institution would collaborate with the agency to fight drug abuse.
Adebowale said that the University was doing its best through the Centre for Social Orientation and the Counselling and Career Development Centre to fight the menace of drug abuse and other identifiable negative tendencies.
He said, “The University would gladly collaborate with the agency to fight against drug abuse. The University was doing its best through the Centre for Social Orientation and the Counselling and Career Development Centre to fight the menace of drug abuse and other identifiable negative tendencies”.
Joe-Fadile, while speaking said that investigations had shown that there was an increase in drug usage among students from primary to tertiary levels.
He added that the University of Ibadan was vulnerable.
He said his agency had discovered that the demography for age had dropped to 12 years and that even though young children are unable to afford the expensive drugs, they are consuming all sorts of unconventional materials.
He said the NDLEA does not see drug users as criminals.
In a remark, Joe-Fadile explained that the agency sees drug users as victims.
He then concluded that the agency has been rehabilitating drug users with the support of professional counsellors and psychologists in collaboration with the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
He disclosed that a functional Rehabilitation Centre had been established in Iseyin, in Oke Ogun geo-political zone, Oyo State.
“Investigations had shown that there was an increase in drug usage among students from primary to tertiary levels, the University of Ibadan was vulnerable.
“The agency had discovered that the demography for age had dropped to 12 years and even though young children are unable to afford the expensive drugs, they are consuming all sorts of unconventional materials,” he hinted.
