30 THOUSAND BOTTLE OF CODEINE (COUGH SYRUP) ARE CONSUMED IN NIGER STATE DAILY AND ABOUT 3MILLION BOTTLE IN NIGERIA

The Development Initiative of West Africa DIWA, revealed that from research conducted in Niger state about 30 thousand bottles of codeine are consumed daily that is cough syrup and about 3million in Nigeria in order to make themselves high.

The alarming revelation was made during DIWA quarterly awareness program tagged #Ban Codeine in Naija, the sensitization awareness program organized to enlightened the general public was held at Islamic Education Trust IET, the Niger State DIWa chief Executive Officer Mallam Musa Mohammed El-Sani, stated that the cough syrup is mostly consumed by the Youth and women.

Mallam El-sani said the society is confronted with a painful antecedent of people consuming codeine to attain a certain high psychological and emotional status that is negative to the brain and body, El-Sani stressed that codeine had contributed to the high rise in crime, kidnapping, raping, terrorism and killings in the country.

In a video presentation, DIWA explained that the Pharmaceutical industries in Nigeria are complicit in the booming trade which is about to jeopardize the future of Niger state and Nigeria as a whole, DIWA said the trade which runs in a black market operation had raised the fortune of pharmaceutical companies which if not tackle will rape the prospect of our coming generation.

DIWA further explained that women are more vulnerable to codeine drug abuse intake, they highlighted that tons of codeine are produce and supplied to this future mothers who are almost becoming addicts due to daily consumption.

Authorities are called upon to checkmate the pharmaceutical companies and chain distributors in order to arrest the situation, #Ban Codeine in Naija is a concerted effort by DIWA to stem the spread of codeine drug abuse intake among the vulnerable groups that is women and youth.