May 4, 2018

Mr Degboh Ayil, the Speaker, West African Students Union Parliament (WASUP) on Friday decried the increasing rate of drug abuse in Nigerian universities and colleges of education.

The speaker made the lamentation while presenting an award to Provost of Federal College of Education (FCE) Pankshin, Dr Amos Cirfat in his office in Pankshin, Plateau State.

He said “the high rate of drug abuse in universities and colleges of education is alarming. The menace must be stemmed to save the lives of our dearest students from destruction.

“Increased consumption of syrups that contain codeine among students across the country and in West African sub-region must be stopped in the interest of our fellow students.”

Ayil pledged WASUP’s readiness to collaborate with FCE Pankshin to fight drug abuse among students to bring about sanity and improve the standard of education in the college.

While bestowing the award on Cirfat as “Icon of Societal Transformation and Students Development in Nigeria’’, the speaker pledged the union’s support to the provost in fighting not just drug abuse but vices in the college.

He added that “we as members of WASUP would give you and the college our unalloyed support and cooperation in fighting drug abuse and other vices.

“We are aware of the devastating effect of codeine on human beings and would offer our support in the fight, especially in sensitisation against the use of drugs to save innocent students, ’’ he said.

He called on the college management to strategise toward the fight as soon as possible to nip the consumption of illicit drugs by students in the bud.

Cirfat described the effect of codeine and other hard drugs as “very dangerous, devastating’’ and worthy of high resistance by all and sundry to protect the lives of innocent youths across educational institutions in Nigeria.

The provost, who commended the union for the honour on him, described it as “very encouraging and  stimulating”, saying it would spur him to do more.

He pledged to collaborate with WASUP toward fighting drug abuse not only in the college but across Nigerian educational institutions “for the good of our fellow students, who are the leaders of tomorrow.’’

Cirfat tasked the union on educating and warning students across West African sub-region against intake of hard drugs, cultism and other vices.