As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR, the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc yesterday; Tuesday at the Lagos Airport, donated several medical equipment to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director, Cargo Services, SAHCO,Mrs. Boma Ukwunna, who represented the Managing Director, SAHCO, Mrs. Adenike Aboderin, said that the event, regretted the effect of drug abuse in the society.
She, however, commended the NDLEA for putting in place effective measures to checkmate the influx of drugs into and out of the country, hoping that the medical items would go a long way in enhancing the activities of the anti-grant agency at the command.
She noted that the NDLEA’s efforts had reduced the menace of drug trafficking in the society.
Ukwunna also said that the items donated would assist the command in attending to suspects quickly, its staff and other stakeholders in the industry.
“In Nigeria and world over, we know the menace of drugs and how we have had to contend with it, the impact on the society, especially on the Nigerian youths.
“I want to commend the commander for what he and his team have put in place to curb the menace in our airport and the country at large.
“The Managing Director of SAHCO as a mother and a citizen of Nigeria, is ready to support the NDLEA to discharge its duties diligently. As a company, we are completely beside and behind NDLEA to ensure that you implement your vision for the country.
“Whatever we have is just a token, it can never be enough looking at the volume of work that you do, but we are starting from somewhere with this token,” she said.
Some of the medical facilities donated to the MMIA Command by SAHCO included incubator, centrifuge machine, sphygmomanometer, weighing scale, poison box, lipid profile, meter, staining rack and ambu bags.
SAHCO management staff were part of the team that visited NDLEA for the presentation of the medical items.
Responding, the Strategic Commander, NDLEA) MMIA Command, Mr. Usman Wadar, expressed delight with the donation by SAHCO.
Wadar maintained that the medical items would go a long way in improving its performance and enhancing its relevance.
The Strategic Commander, stated that the command had enjoyed tremendous cooperation from stakeholders, particularly SAHCO over the years.
He stated that the medical equipment would be use at its clinic at the command and expressed the willingness to always work with the leading ground handling company in Nigeria.
“We have enjoyed a lot of cooperation from stakeholders, particularly SAHCO and the synergy can never be over-emphasised.
“The idea of the small clinic that we have here came up in view of the suspects that we usually have in custody. Even though they must have committed an offence, they still have the right to all kinds of amenities.
“As a result of that, we decided that we should have a clinic to support this command so that anytime anyone is arrested, we ensure that the right of our citizens and anybody that must have committed offences is protected. That has been very useful to us,” he said.
Wadar, also regretted that no fewer than 14 million Nigerians had either tasted drugs or enmeshed in it.
He attributed this figure to the United Nations Drug Survey in its 2018 statistics.
He, however, said that the menace was a global and societal challenge, but explained that the recent statistics from Nigeria indicated that illegal use of drugs was declining in the country.
According to him, in 2022, the Command seized about 21 tonnes of illicit drugs; 2023 was 23 tonnes, but it dropped drastically to just seven tonnes in 2024.
He attributed this success to the steps taken by the NDLEA to curb the growing menace in the Nigerian society.
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