The Member of Parliament for Suhum Constituency in the Eastern Region, Frank Asiedu Bekoe, has embarked on a street-to-street campaign against opioids and substance abuse among the youth in the area.
He stated that the rate at which the youth have fallen in love with these dangerous substances is alarming, warning that if leaders of the country do not rise up and implement immediate remedies to curb the menace, the future of the country will be in a sorry state.
Protozoa, as he is popularly called in the political terrain, added that when Parliament resumes from recess, he would lay a proposal for the Ghana Education Service (G.E.S) to include drug and substance abuse education into the curriculum.
Frank Asiedu Bekoe believes that when this is done in schools, teachers will educate pupils about how drug abuse can be destructive to their careers prematurely and make them irrelevant in society.
“Children are fast learners, and once they get to know the implications of these substances when they grow up, they will desist themselves from it and pay attention to their education and to become prominent people in the country.”
He described the act as a ‘national security concern’ and said the country must be alarmed that the children we see as future leaders are now engaged in substance and drug abuse as early as ages 7 and 8.
The lawmaker stated that to tackle this national security concern, apart from tightening our borders and ensuring these substances don’t fall into the wrong hands, it is essential to educate children to stay away from them.
Hence, his plans to make the proposal in Parliament to help save the lives of the youth for the betterment of the future generation.
He pledges continuation of the sensitising exercise to make the youth come to the realization that there is no glory in engaging in drug and substance abuse.
Protozoa revealed that recently, six people from the same community in Suhum have died due to opioid and substance abuse while the situation escalates in the area.
“As a Member of Parliament, I can’t sit down aloof and watch the youth in my constituency die and destroy their lives because I don’t know what the future holds for them, hence embarking on this important campaign to educate them to refrain from it,” he mentioned.
The campaign was supported by the Suhum Municipal Health Directorate, various security agencies, the local council of churches, Assembly Members, opinion leaders, and the Muslim community from Suhum and its surrounding areas.
By// Kontihen Kofi Oboh.
Source// Obohnewsonline.com.
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