 Thanks for staying with us. Drug abuse poses greater problems to the socioeconomic and political stability of any nation, while also disturbing her sustainable development. On the United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and illicit trafficking, Christ Against Drug Abuse Ministry organized the Work in Legos to sensitize people on the dangers of drug abuse. The theme for this year's International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is Share Facts on Drugs and Save Lives. The recent World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime states that 271 million people aged between 15 and 64 years abused drugs in 2019. That is about 5.5 percent of the global population. For the Christ Against Drug Abuse Ministry, it is a time to take a walk and create awareness on the negative effects of drug abuse. It's even gone higher. The country representative of UNODC said it's getting close to 20 million, so you can begin to understand the trend, the increasing trend across the world, particularly in Nigeria in age 15 to 64, of people doing drugs. And the preponderance, even in that prevalence, is between ages 25 and 39, which is the economic belt of any nation. And so we need to worry about this, and we need to do something. We have found out that a lot of people actually go into drugs because they don't know the implication of what they are doing. They don't know the aftereffect. So we feel that since there are not many organizations that would treat the drug user, it's better to prevent as many people as possible from going into drugs. Yes, I've actually been down that road before, so I know what it feels like and I know what it means to have a problem. You cannot tell anybody or maybe your family member doesn't know who to turn to. Main factors, drugs kill you. It's something that you can't start it easily, but to stop it is actually a problem. On the recent move by the Ondo state governor, Akeridolu, to legalize cannabis for economic reasons here are their thoughts. In fact, that cannabis should not be legalized. For somebody like me that have been down that road, it started with cigarette and cannabis, but ended up becoming a crack cocaine and heroin addict. Cannabis is always the gateway. If you go to psychiatric hospitals, 70% of the people there that have psychosis is being induced by marijuana. So we're just going to have a lot of mad people on our street. And I agree entirely with General Mabuba Marwara that we cannot even contemplate it. We can control ordinary paracetamol. The use of all these basic drugs, how then do you want to control the use of marijuana? The boarding of drug abuse is on the rise and becoming a public health concern in Nigeria. Studies show drug abuse fuels criminal activities like theft, burglary and shoplifting. Abuse of drugs can also lead to mental health problems and death. The United Nations say there were at least 585 such deaths in 2019. Destiny Momo for PlusCV Africa. Also countries have been advised to discourage legalizing the use of addictive substances such as cannabis and marijuana. The theme for this year is share facts on drugs save lives. Our correspondent Adebanke Odunoyi has more. Opium, cocaine, ecstasy, these are a few of the names that come to mind when drug abuse is mentioned. Drug abuse and trafficking is a world that has been fought by the world for hundreds of years. And in order to express its determination to strengthen action and cooperation, the United Nations decided to observe 26th of June as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 7th December 1987. This year's theme is share facts on drugs save lives. Speaking on strategies to end in this menace, a former drug user and founder of Global Center for Drug Eradication, Keji Hamilton, said children should be taught about drugs and their effects while parents must be educated on drugs as well. So I think now we need to start to do differently. We should try to develop skills among young people so that we stop going to drugs because another thing we start to have to do differently is we should try and stop stigmatizing those who use drugs as if they are good people or they are not serious about life because going into drugs is not the final stage of a lot of things that have been piling up in the emotional tank of every human being that are going into drugs. On the issue of illicit trafficking, he said some highly placed people cost the high influx of drugs. We really need to fight the drug market itself, which is something I think is quite impossible. Why? There are nations who drug trafficking makes for their GDP among the nation names, you understand. One, number two, there are people that are high up there, the caliber of seats of power that are actually sponsoring drug markets. Countries such as Canada, Georgia, South Africa and Uruguay have legalized cannabis and Nigerian lawmakers have a bill considering the legalization of marijuana. This was described as a bad idea. But if you ask me from that personality that, okay, did you think that cannabis should be legalized? I would say no, it shouldn't be legalized. Why? Because I know the effect of cannabis on the brain of anybody that uses cannabis. A report done by the UNODC said that non-medical use of cannabis and sedatives increased globally during the pandemic, reporting for Plus TV Africa at a bank at Odenui. The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is an expression of UN's determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. Now to Benway State, where Governor Samuel O'Tom wants the federal government to help stop the invasion of farm lands by his men, the governor said this will remove the fears farmers face as they get set to embark on full-scale farming during the cropping season. He stated this while flagging off the distribution of improved seedlings and crops to thousands of farmers. Benway State is known as the food basket of the nation. It's still known by that appellation, but the amount of food produced has been badly hit by insecurity and cases of cattle eating up farm lands. Governor Samuel O'Tom is mindful of this and he's here to distribute improved seedlings and crops to 22,400 farmers across the 23 local government areas of the state. O'Tom says the seedlings and crops were high yielding and drought tolerant. We are going into watermelon production, a mass, and where the seedlings are here, these are false efforts we have experimented and we discovered that they can do well here. And we're not just looking at producing maize for consumption. We intend to massively produce it just like we produce soil beans. The Benway State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Timo Tijir, on his spot calls on the private sector to engage in the production of improved seedlings so they can be readily available to farmers. These achievements are coming despite the challenges that the governor and the government of Benway State are experiencing at the moment. This seed program is very timely. Now that have created an enabling environment for our farmers, especially the IGPs, to return to the essential homes. Those people that said that was not possible, that is what they are doing now. We want to thank you on behalf of the chairman and the management to want to thank you for what you have done. The flag of ceremony had 4666 improved rice seedlings, 230 bags of maize seedlings, 690 tins of melon seedlings and 10,000 cassava stems. The governor reiterated that it is part of his bid to push the state back to its status as the food basket of the nation. Now rounding of this week's edition is the fire outbreak report that raised down a store that contained hospital beds, mattresses and other valuable items worth millions of Naira, the specialist hospital in Yula, the Adamao state capital. The fire service of the Federal Medical Center was other seen to put it out. A fire truck speeding and blaring its horns to catch up with an urgent task, to salvage what is left of a fire outbreak at specialist hospital Yula. A crew of 10 men quickly work to evacuate the crowd and fight the fire with water from these hoses. Because of the fire is not yet known, so the people here speculate. And they say even the neighbor light is not there. They say the chemical are the thing that worst are the thing. Mohammed Usman is one of the first persons that arrived the scene when he saw a thick smoke billowing from the hospital. We just there inside there we see fire. So now we run, come to see where the thing happened. So we come see now for general hospital. So we just enter after we come before fire service came. The chief medical director of Yula specialist hospital, Dr Dawoda Wadinga, describes the extent of the damage. When I came in I saw our store, one of our store on fire. And this is a store where we keep our mattresses and beds. And some other items inside. The specialist hospital Yula is the second largest health facility in Adamoa state. Medical supplies stored here are now ashes, but no life was lost. Though property worth millions of Naira were destroyed, it is good to note that no life was lost. And that's a wrap now. But before we go, let's remind you to follow us at Plus TV Africa Facebook and Instagram and do subscribe to our YouTube channel at Plus TV Africa. I'm Jacinta Rubuco. Thanks for watching.