Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has called on the Nigerian youths to shun drug abuse and other vices that could affect them from realising their potentials.
AbdulRazaq made the call Tuesday evening in Ilorin, the state capital, when he received members of the Scouts Association of Nigeria, Kwara State Chapter, led by its Commissioner, Deacon Olabisi Afolayinka, at the Government House, Ilorin.
A statement by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the governor, who recalled his days as a Boy Scout in the Capital School Kaduna, said the association had contributed to nurturing youths becoming good citizens and contributing to the development of the society.
“This is an association that prepares youth on how to be good citizens and how to relate with fellow citizens. These are virtues that the youths should maintain today. In our days, there was no rampant cases of drug abuse,” he said.
He urged the youths to use their energy for productive ventures and join the scouts to make positive contributions to the society.
Governor AbdulRazaq, who was announced as the Ambassador of Peace of the Association, promised to live up to expectations by giving the necessary support to the body through relevant government agencies
Afolayanka, earlier in his remarks, said the constitution of the body automatically makes the governor of any state its patron and the President its grand patron.
He commended AbdulRazaq for the audience extended to the body, saying that was the first time any governor was hosting them in Kwara State for the past 21 years.
He said the association had been founded to build young boys and girls to make useful contributions to the country, saying that cultism and other vices were not known in schools in the past when Scouts held sway.
He urged the governor to support the association to carry out its mandates in Kwara State.