As part of the efforts towards the acceleration of the fight against drugs and substance abuse amongst Nigerian Youth, the immediate past Senator of Kwara Central and Chairman of the 9th Senate Committee on Health, Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe has today commissioned for use, another of his legacy project – the drug and substance abuse rehabilitation center located at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Budo-Egba , Kwara State.

The multimillion Naira project, named after the immediate past Nigerian Senate President and incumbent Senator representing Yobe North Senatorial District, Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, GCON, had its foundation laid in April 2022 when the lawmaker visited Kwara State to commission some of the landmark projects facilitated by Senator Oloriegbe.

Speaking on the significance of the intervention, the erstwhile lawmaker stated that the facility is intended to eliminate self-destructive tendencies that incite addiction to harmful substances, saying that the rehabilitation center would help accelerate recovery from social and mental challenges.

“The surge in the cases of drug abuse and its attendant mental disorders amongst our youth underscores the need to devise effective measures that would not only wean addicts off harmful substances but also rebrand them for a healthy and productive life. This necessity informed the choice of this facility to ensure an effective therapy that lessens the chances of relapsing after recovery.

“While the intervention would bolster the existing services at the hospital, it mirrors an advancement of our abiding efforts to deepen access to quality health services that meet the health needs of our people.”

The ex-lawmaker who also conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the ongoing constructions of the projects such as the diagnostic center; store; and administrative complex in the hospital, expressed satisfaction with the quality of the work done on the projects so far, commending the management and staff of the health institution for their commitment to placing the facility on sound footing of quality services.

On his part, the Medical Director of the facility, Prof. Issa Baba appreciates the Senator for his consistent support to the facility which he said has been instrumental in strengthening the capacity of the institution to deliver effectively and actualize the essence of its establishment.

In the same vein, the former lawmaker also commissioned the newly constructed road in the Budo-Egba community to give a boost to the social and economic activities in the area.

The 2.2km Budo-Egba to Afon road which was facilitated by the ex-lawmaker had been named in his honor by the members of the community in what was said to be a recognition of the developmental strides he has facilitated to put the area on the path of irreversible progress.

The Senator who was early this year conferred with the chieftaincy title of Akorede Budo-Egba, expressed gratitude to the members of the community for finding him worthy of the honor, urging them not to be complacent but rather remain committed to lobbying the government and well-to-do descendants of the community for continued interventions on the developmental drive of the community.

Commissioning the road, Oloriegbe said the project would open the area to greater development through the promotion of access to the hinterland and the creation of unhindered mobility which would ultimately ease access to the hospital, enabling the residents of the community to take proper maintenance of the road to ensure longer durability.

Reacting to the development, the member representing the Afon constituency at the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Yunus Bello Oniboki lauded Oloriegbe for his numerous interventions in the community, the principal of which he said was the facilitation of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, averring that the feat has not only brought sustainable development to the area but also placed the community on a national and international map.

On his part, the President of the Budo-Egba Descendant Progressive Association, Iyanda Ganiyu expressed gratitude to the Senator for his various developmental strides which he said had positively redefined the economic status of their community, praying for God’s continued blessings and protection on the former lawmaker whom he said would forever remain a model of selflessness to the community.