The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Food and Cultural Festival has called on the Federal Government and other political leaders of ECOWAS countries to intensify efforts to reduce drug abuse and illicit trafficking among the African youths.

The group’s Country Representative and Director-General, Amb. Felix Ihonre, made the call at the national stakeholders’ preparatory lunch in Abuja.

The event which has as theme, ‘Evidence is clear: Invest in prevention,’ was held in observance of the 2024 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Ihonre said that ECOWAS leaders should view drug abuse and illicit trafficking as a menace promoting violence, insurgency and banditry, noting that addressing it would guarantee peace around ECOWAS.

“We call on our leaders, Heads of State and Governments of the ECOWAS countries to intensify efforts with high-level commitment to reducing drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

“Once drug abuse and illicit trafficking are reduced, violence will also be reduced because most of the things that stimulate violence are drugs and it is difficult for you to have a violent agitator that does not take drugs.

“So, we want a situation where the Federal Government of Nigeria and her fellow 14 member countries of ECOWAS as well as their development partners around the world, see the issue of drug abuse and illicit trafficking as a thing that is promoting violence, insurgency and banditry. Once all these things are addressed, I think there will be peace around ECOWAS,” he said.

According to him, to ensure high level of productivity of food in a country, it is incumbent on the government to provide peace among the farming communities.

On the issue of drug trafficking, Ihonre said those people trafficking drugs were not engaged or seeking quick money.

He urged the governments to embrace food and crop production as alternatives to drug and crime prevention.

Ihonre said that the theme of the 2024 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking titled “Evidence is clear: Invest in prevention” was apt.

“This year becomes very important to the ECOWAS Food and Cultural Festival, in the sense that it is talking of ‘Evidence is clear: Invest in prevention.’ What are we preventing? If we must prevent drug abuse, illicit trafficking and any kind of abuse, the first thing we must put on the table first is food.

“People have to feed. Hunger prevention is a way of alleviating poverty. Hunger prevention is a way of keeping people busy to fight the issue of drugs. Second, drugs such as cocaine, marijuana and others are things that are being produced by some farmers,” he said.

The Director-General urged the government and people in the agricultural sector to concentrate more on food production by encouraging farmers to plant food bearing crops.

He said this would prevent people from producing drugs or engaging in drug trafficking.