TOO MANY PEOPLE BADLY INFORMED ABOUT DRUGS -- ANNAN

United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan yesterday
challenged, parents, educational institutions, civil society groups
and governments around the world to intensify efforts in the area
of creating greater awareness on the devastating effects of narcotic
drugs on the world's population, saying taking drugs or not was a
matter of choice yet, too many people were not armed with the
relevant information that could help them make informed choices.

Latest research on drug abuse indicates that 200 million people or
five per cent of the global population aged between 15 --64 have
consumed illicit drugs at least once in the last twelve months while
children between the tender ages of four to ten have also been
identified to come under the scourge.

Both the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Richard Gozney and
the Chief Executive, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),
Alhaji Ahmadu Giade echoed this position at the grand finale of the
United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking held at the National Centre for Women Development, Abuja.
The theme of this year's celebration is "Children and Drugs" and the
slogan is "Drugs Are Not Child's Play".

In a goodwill message at the occasion, Annan remarked that in
the current phase of the fight, more energy should be directed at the
young people, as the youth were more vulnerable to getting caught in
the web of drug abuse and trafficking. Country Representative,
United Nations Office On Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria, Mr. Paul
Salay who delivered the message on behalf of the UN chief scribe,
underlined the need for better education, consistent leadership from
governments and better role models in ssociety.