The ECOWAS Food and Cultural Festival, has called on leaders of member countries to intensify efforts to reduce drug abuse and illicit trafficking in the continent.
Its Country Representative and Director-General, Amb. Felix Ihonre, made the call at the National Stakeholders Preparatory Lunch, in Observance of the 2024 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Abuja.
Acccording to reports, the Day with the theme “Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention” is globally observed on every June 26.
Ihonre said that ECOWAS leaders should see the issue of drug abuse and illicit trafficking as promoting violence, insurgency and banditry, saying that once addressed, there would be peace around ECOWAS.
“We are calling on our leaders, heads of states and governments of the ECOWAS countries to intensify efforts with high level commitment to reducing drug abuse and illicit trafficking.
“Once drug abuse and illicit trafficking are reduced, violence will also be reduced because most of the things that stimulate violence are drugs and it is difficult for you to have a violent agitator that does not take drugs.
“So, we want a situation where the Federal Government of Nigeria and her fellow 14 member countries of ECOWAS as well as their development partners around the world would see the issue of drug abuse and illicit trafficking as a thing that is promoting violence, insurgency and banditry.
“Once all these things are addressed, I think there will peace around ECOWAS,” Ihonre said.
He said to ensure high level productivity of food in a country, there was need to provide peace among farm settlements.
On drug traffickers, he said people who trafficked in drugs were not gainfully engaged, which allowed them to look for quick money.
He urged government to see the issue of food and crop production as an alternative to drug and crime prevention.
Ihonre said that the theme of the 2024 international Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking titled “Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention” was apt.
“This year becomes very important to the ECOWAS Food and Cultural Festival, in the sense that it is talking of “Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention”. What are we preventing?
The Director-General urged government and people in the agric sector to concentrate more on food production by encouraging farmers to invest in plantations, crop production and production of more food.
This, he said, would prevent people from producing drugs or engaging in trafficking in drugs.
Also, some relevant stakeholders emphasised the importance of the upcoming ECOWAS Food and Cultural Festival, scheduled to hold in Uyo and Calabar from Oct. 6 to 10.