Ajirioghene Imah
The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, has revealed the readiness of the Seventh Assembly to ban public smoking in the State, while urging the youths to shun the use drugs in order to impact meaningfully to societal development.
Aribasoye gave this charge while receiving leaders and members of the state chapter of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) who staged “Ekiti Youth Peace Walk” to the Assembly Complex as part of activities to mark this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse.
Aribasoye while calling all concerned individuals, authorities, institutions and bodies to come together and halt the trend in the interest of the youths and their future, noted that smoking in public places does not only affect the smokers but also affects non-smokers, and has had a negative effect on the youths.
The Speaker who was joined by other lawmakers in the Assembly to receive the NYCN team advised the youths to be part of governance by sponsoring private bills for consideration by the state legislature in critical areas that affect them especially in policy formulation and decision making.
In his words, “Today, as you have observed, is the International Day Against Drug Abuse. One of the things that have destroyed the future of the youths is drug abuse and all of us must be ambassadors, all of us must be champions to campaign against drug abuse.
“Anywhere we find ourselves, we must campaign against drug abuse. We just have to do it for us to have a saner society, we must campaign against drug abuse, it is very, very important.
“Drug abuse has affected many lives and destroyed destinies. God has give our youths talents to positively affect their generation and we must not allow drug abuse to hinder them from realizing their potentials.
“Very soon, we are coming up with a law against public smoking. Public smoking does not only affect the smokers but those who don’t smoke who must be protected from the effects of public smoking.”He also charged all stakeholders in the state to join hands together and battle the menace of drug abuse to a standstill in order to have a saner society”. He said.
Rt. Hon. Aribasoye also used the opportunity to canvass support of the youths of the state for the Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, to enable him achieve his shared prosperity Agenda for the entire people of the state and promised to work hand-in-hand with NYCN to protect the interest of the youths and assist them to get the best in the scheme of things in the state.
Also speaking, the state NYCN Chairman, Oluwasegun Famuyibo, commended the Governor for creating Ministry of Youths and Job Creation which he described as bold step to give the young generation better welfare and tackle youth unemployment in the state and pledged the support of the body and entire youths of the state for the Oyebanji Administration which he described as “youth-friendly”.
