NGO advocates war against drug abuse among adolescent girls

The Executive Director of a Zaria-based NGO, `Arewa Youth Trust Foundation’, Alhaji Fahad Ahmed-Chikaji, has advocated a collective effort to curb the menace of drug abuse among adolescent girls.

He made the call in a lecture marking the celebration of the Girl Child Day, held at Government Girls Secondary School Dogin Bauchi Sabon Gari, Zaria, Kaduna State.

Ahmed-Chikaji, who is also the Kaduna State Coordinator of Student for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and Kaduna State Coordinator, Future Builders Foundation for Children’s Health and Education, said that the call became imperative in view of the dangers of drug abuse.

“Girls are physically, emotionally, mentally and psychologically more fragile than the opposite sex.

“For these reasons and more, you find girls from the age of 13 to 40 abusing drugs with different reasons,’’ the executive director said in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the NGO, Malam Ibrahim Muhammad Shamsuddin

The executive director identified some of the reasons to include: stress, frustration, peer group influence and mental illness, among others.

Fahad-Chikaji also offered some possible solutions to the menace such as; proper counselling, showing love and care, creating a bond of relationship between children and parents, creating clean and free environment and ensuring harsh punishment for drug dealers.

“There is every need for parents to be alive to their responsibilities of ensuring proper upbringing of children.

“Peer group influence play vital role in changing the already-established character of children; hence the need for parents to be very careful by drawing the children closer to them so as to monitor their movement.

“They should ensure proper counselling of children. They should ensure love, care and accommodation to enable them have a sense of belonging, ‘’ he said.