NDLEA urges youths to take responsibility, engage in positive activities

By Muhammad Nasir

Sokoto, March 5, 2022

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has called on Nigerian youths to accept responsibility and engage themselves in positive activities.

Mr. Shuaibu Idris, the NDLEA Commandant, Sokoto zonal office, made the call while speaking at a sensitisation programme organised by Salama Youth Empowerment Organisation in Sokoto on Saturday.

Idris said that it was important for the youths to constantly work at improving their attitudes from negative to positive.

“Youth should not continue to sit idle. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. So whenever somebody becomes idle, such person would be exposed to negative activities.

“So we encourage our teeming youths to learn to do one or two things so that they will take care of themselves and be able to take responsibilities,” he said.

Earlier, Founder of the NGO, Hajiya Najaatu Muhammad, said that the  initiative was meant to sensitise Nigerian youths on the need to move  their minds away from idleness, unemployment or underemployment.

Muhammad said that the organisation was looking at the root causes of insecurity in Northern Nigeria, particularly the North West.

“I think we should go beyond just criticising the government, even though what we are saying is the truth, but we should change things with our hearts.

“The government has provided billions of naira for youth empowerment, but only the politicians are benefiting from such programmes,” she said.

Muhammad said that the organisation’s investigation had revealed that one of the causes of insecurity in the region was the lack of education.

According to her, insecurity in parts of the country has increased the number of out of school children.

“Therefore, we have the larger percentage of our population not educated, doing nothing in life, what do we expect.

“So we have to begin to not only challenge the government to refocus on youths development, but we also have to sensitise them, help them and at the same time support them to get what is meant for them,” she said.