NAFDAC BOSS DECRIES ABUSE OF SYRUPS

BY PETER DURU
MAKURDI-Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, has decried the rising wave of abuse of expectorants and cough syrups as stimulants among youths who have resorted to such drugs to get 'high'.

Orhii, who condemned the act, pleaded with those who engage in the abuse to desist in view of the health implication of their actions.

He lamented that if not checked, the development possess grave danger to the health of the teeming youths and drug addicts who have found solace in these drugs.

The NADFAC Director General said this at Lessel, in Ushongo Logal Government Area of Benue State, where a civic reception was held for him and other illustrious sons and daughters of the area who hold key positions at federal and state levels.

He pointed out that the abuse of cough expectorants had become a major challenge, advising parents keep a close tab on their children and wards to ensure that they do not fall prey to the heart-rendering implication of drug abuse.

Orhii stated that NAFDAC was collaborating with necessary agencies and security organizations to apprehend those who bent on abusing the recommended dosage for expectorants with the intent to get 'high'.

The NAFDAC boss, who recalled the growing years, pleaded with youths in the country to desist from intensionally embarking on ventures that would ruin their future, adding that the level of drug abuse among youths in the country had become a source of immense concern to Nigerian leaders.

In his remarks, Governor Gabriel Suswam, who was represented by the Chairman, Benue State Planning Commission, Mrs. Dorcas Akpe, urged the youths in the state to emulate the sterling qualities of Dr. Orhii, whom he said has continuously exploited available channels to impact on the lives of the down-trodden in the society.