Friday Omosola
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has called on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) to partner the state on the pathway towards cultivation of cannabis sativa for medicinal purposes.
Akeredolu said the strain of Cannabis Sativa at Ogbese in Ondo State is the best in the world charging NDLEA to look towards sensitization of the public and academic world to make it work.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Richard Olatunde said the Governor made the call in his office while playing host to the officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) led by the Assistant Commander of Narcotics and Zonal Commander NDLEA Zone J, Mr Parah Julius Bawa.
The Governor noted that the war against drug abuse should be fought by everyone, adding that no government would support drug abuse, particularly the rate at which it is going in the country.
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“No government will sit down and support drug abuse, particularly the scale at which it is going now in Nigeria. In Nigeria today, there are many substances. They are as deadly as cocaine. People today abuse codeine and so many things that are deadly.
According to him, “I agree with you that drug abuse fuels banditry, kidnapping and every form of criminality that we are faced with. Those who are involved in this have to get high to come and take a risk with their lives. When you see what they do, you will agree that they are high. So, we know and I do agree with you entirely. We are ready to cooperate with you.”
Akeredolu added that his push for controlled cannabis cultivation for medicinal purposes was not to encourage drug abuse, stating that the economic benefits have now been reaped across the globe.
“My own contention is this, nobody would ask that we start trafficking Indian helm, nobody would say we should leave people free to smoke weed but that we will need to look at the useful purpose to which we can take the seed where we have the CBD Oil that is extracted from it for medicinal purposes, they have been using it for long even in the hospitals.”
Speaking, the Zonal Commander of NDLEA Zone J, Mr. Mr. Parah Julius Bawa said his visitation to the Governor is occasioned because he has been posted to Ondo State as the Zonal Commander of NDLEA Zone J.
He said Zone J of the NDLEA comprises of Ondo and Ekiti State, emphasizing that the creation of the zone was mandated by the Chairman of the Agency, Brigadier General Muhammad Marwa who put in restructuring by expanding the frontiers of the existing structure to fourteen zonal command.
However, the agency decorated Governor Akeredolu as the Grand Patron of War Against Drug Abuse for Ondo Zonal Command.
