On Thursday, August 21, 2025, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting security agencies in tackling drug trafficking, cybercrime, cultism, kidnapping, and other crimes, during a courtesy visit by a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) delegation led by Country Representative Mr. Cheikh Toure in Akure, as reported by Vanguard and The Sun. Aiyedatiwa emphasized that security and the rule of law are central to his seven-point governance framework, highlighting the distribution of 75 hybrid vehicles to security agencies and support for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to curb cannabis cultivation, which accounts for 22% of Nigeria’s illicit drug trade (NDLEA, 2024).
Aiyedatiwa outlined youth-focused initiatives like the One Youth, One Skill programme, which has trained 5,000 youths with vocational skills and startup grants since January 2025, aiming to deter crime and foster social stability (ThisDay). He expressed openness to UN partnerships to build a resilient society. Toure praised Ondo’s efforts, noting Nigeria’s high drug addiction rates, with 14.4% of the population aged 15–64 using illicit drugs (UNODC, 2024). He committed to deepening collaboration to enhance youth resilience and prosecution efforts. X posts from @OndoGov (August 21, 2025) highlighted the partnership, while @Naija_Activist urged stronger action against cultism, citing 320 related incidents in Ondo in 2024 (Police Report). The initiative aligns with efforts to address Nigeria’s 8,000 annual kidnapping cases (ACLED, 2025).
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