Commission Says Regional Development Cannot Succeed While Young People Continue to Fall Victim to Drug Abuse and Criminal Activities
KANO — The North-West Development Commission, NWDC, has thrown its weight behind the Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Practices, warning that the growing menace of drug abuse poses a serious threat to security, youth development and economic progress across the North-West region.
The commission said drug abuse had become a major driver of insecurity, poverty, youth restiveness and other social challenges, insisting that meaningful development would remain difficult if young people continued to be lost to substance abuse and criminal activities.
The position was made known when the Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Practices, led by its Chairman, Barrister Muhiyi Magaji Rimingado, paid a courtesy visit to the North-West Development Commission in Kano.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NWDC, Prof. Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji, said the commission was prepared to work with the Kano task force and other relevant stakeholders to develop lasting regional solutions to drug abuse, rehabilitation and youth unemployment.
Ma’aji said the North-West could not achieve its development objectives without confronting the growing connection between drug abuse, violence and insecurity.
According to him, the challenge goes beyond law enforcement and requires a coordinated strategy involving prevention, rehabilitation, skills acquisition and economic empowerment.
The NWDC boss said the commission’s mandate extended beyond the construction of roads and other physical infrastructure, stressing that human capital development and the rebuilding of communities must also form a major part of efforts to transform the region.
He assured the task force that the commission would consider integrating drug prevention, rehabilitation and youth empowerment programmes into its broader regional development plans.
The collaboration, he said, would cover the seven states within the North-West region, including Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.
The task force, meanwhile, presented what it described as significant achievements recorded within just 45 days of its inauguration.
Rimingado said the agency had carried out more than 200 raids across communities identified as vulnerable to drug abuse and other illicit practices.
He said the operations had also resulted in more than 200 convictions, with some offenders receiving prison sentences of up to 10 years.
According to him, dangerous weapons and other exhibits were also recovered during the task force’s operations.
Rimingado said the Kano State Government had adopted a two-pronged strategy in tackling the problem, combining aggressive law enforcement with rehabilitation and reformation programmes.
He explained that the objective of the task force was not limited to arresting and prosecuting offenders but also involved identifying vulnerable individuals, providing rehabilitation and preventing them from returning to drug abuse and criminal activities.
As part of the rehabilitation efforts, Rimingado said 120 of the most critical and vulnerable offenders were currently undergoing rehabilitation at two correctional and reformatory centres.
The approach reflects growing concerns that arresting drug users and vulnerable young people without providing treatment, rehabilitation and economic opportunities could fail to address the deeper causes of drug abuse.
Ma’aji said the NWDC would explore opportunities to support the expansion of rehabilitation centres, introduce skills acquisition programmes and create employment opportunities for young people across the region.
The commission also called for wider community involvement in the fight against drug abuse.
Traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, parents and community leaders were urged to support efforts aimed at preventing young people from becoming involved in drug abuse and criminal activities.
Ma’aji stressed that the responsibility for addressing the crisis could not rest on government agencies alone.
He said security and development were closely connected, warning that efforts to build infrastructure and grow the economy could be undermined if the social conditions driving crime, addiction and youth restiveness were left unresolved.
The NWDC boss also commended Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, for supporting the commission and establishing the Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Practices.
He said the initiative demonstrated the Kano State Government’s concern about the welfare, security and future of young people.
The meeting was attended by Engr. Rufa’i Ahmad, a Board Member representing the North-Central.
The North-West Development Commission was established to promote infrastructure development, human capital investment, peace-building and other initiatives aimed at accelerating development across the seven states of the North-West geopolitical zone.
The commission’s latest intervention comes as concerns continue to grow over the relationship between drug abuse, violent crime and insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria.
For the NWDC and the Kano task force, however, the message is increasingly clear: arrests and convictions alone may not be enough to win the fight against drug abuse.
The challenge, according to the stakeholders, will require sustained enforcement, rehabilitation, prevention and economic opportunities capable of giving vulnerable young people alternatives to addiction and crime.
IBN News reports that the proposed partnership between the North-West Development Commission and the Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force could form part of a broader regional response to drug abuse, insecurity and youth unemployment across the North-West.
