SCDDD’s Stakeholders Dialogue Push For Swift Passage of Kano Anti-Drug Abuse Bill
By Mustapha Salisu
In a bid to expedite the passage and enactment of the “Kano State Drugs and Substance Abuse Management Bill (2023),” the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy, and Development (SCDDD), in collaboration with Mercy Corps Nigeria, organized a Policy Round-table Engagement and Stakeholders Dialogue Meeting in Kano.
According to reports from PRIME TIME NEWS, the Centre partnered with the Kano State House of Assembly and the Community Initiative to Promote Peace (CIPP) project for this significant engagement.
The dialogue, held at the Tahir Guest Palace on Tuesday, brought together key stakeholders from various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), the media, academia, religious institutions, among others, to deliberate on strategies to facilitate the passage and enactment of the “Kano State Drugs and Substance Abuse Management Bill (2023).”
In his address on behalf of SCDDD, Barr. Nura Ahmad Muhammad, revealed that the Policy Round-Table Engagement and Stakeholders Dialogue Meeting served as a strategic platform to assess progress made so far in advocating for the passage of the bill.
He emphasized the importance of gathering data from the meeting to inform future strategies and reinforce the existing CIPP/Savannah steering committee structure on drug abuse.
Furthermore, Barr. Nura disclosed six organizations involved in the committee on Drugs And Substance Abuse Management Bill (2023), including Mercy Corps Nigeria, Interface Mediation Center partners (IMC), Pastoral Resolve (RARE), African Radio and Drama Association (ARDA), Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), and Savannah Center for Diplomacy and Development (SCDD).
He highlighted the committee’s collaboration with the Kano state government and relevant stakeholders to ensure the new Drugs and Substance Abuse Management Bill is enacted.
Garba Musa, a retired Permanent Secretary and Former DG at Kano State Zakkah Commission, who spoke to PRIME TIME NEWS correspondent after the dialogue, emphasized the urgency of passing the Drug Abuse Bill, citing its critical importance in combating the menace affecting communities, especially with youths actively involved in drug abuse.
Also, Amb. Maryam Hassan, Executive Director of League for Societal Protection Against Drug Abuse (LESPADA), echoed the sentiments, calling for increased awareness and public involvement in addressing the issue of drug abuse in Kano State.
On his part, Rev. Dr. Oba Andrew, President of Ambassadors of Peace, Kano State, emphasized the need for parents, security agencies, and community leaders to play their roles effectively in curbing drug abuse. He also called on the government to provide employment opportunities for youths to deter them from engaging in drug abuse.
PRIME TIME NEWS reports that the session saw a unanimous call on concerned citizens to remember that irrespective of political affiliations, each and everyone has a role to play in combating drugs and substance abuse in Kano state and therefore everyone should put hands on deck to support advocacy for speedy passage and eventual assent of the “Kano State Drugs and Substance Abuse Management Bill (2023)”.
Recall on 24th November 2023, PRIME TIME NEWS gathered from Mr. Olaogun Michael, the Centre’s Programme Officer, who provided a summary of SCDDD’s efforts on the bill, stating that between September 26th and 27th, 2023, the Centre had an expert desk-review session to analyze line-by-line the “Kano State Drugs and Substance Abuse Management Bill (2023)” for the purpose of re-presentation for debate and passage in the Assembly.
He noted that the review meeting laid the groundwork for developing context on drug abuse in Kano state and established the menace of substance abuse and conflict dynamics at the community level in Kano state and, by extension, the Northwest geo-political zone of Nigeria.
Also the Center’s Senior Programme Manager/Head of Communication and Advocacy, Sir Bola Abimbola, disclosed that the engagement is a follow up to the request made by the Deputy Speaker, Kano State House of Assembly and members of the House Committee on Health during an advocacy for redraft of the bill during a visit made to the House by the Centre on 12th of September 2023.
Sir Bola further revealed, then as of 24th November 2023, that the bill has passed the first reading and hopeful by January 2024, when the state house of Assembly resumes in full, the Centre is targeting pushing second reading of the bill.
