A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Meljenstin Youth Empowerment Initiative, in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has sensitised youths against drug abuse during an event in Festac Town, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.
Speaking at the event titled “Say No to Drug Abuse Youth Conference”, the NDLEA Area Commander for Festac, Mr Abdul Maiyaki, highlighted the importance of sustained public awareness and strengthened drug control efforts to address the growing problem of drug addiction.
Maiyaki revealed: “All over the world, according to the United Nations, 280 million people use drugs. Out of that, 15 million are in Nigeria. Out of these, luckily, six million need help. You can have the problem, but since you don’t need help, we can’t force you. We have to agree to the fact that I have a problem and I need help, and then we can take it from there.”
In her remarks, the founder and president of Meljenstin Youth Empowerment Initiative, Mrs Chibuzo Patrick Osigwe, encouraged youths to remain focused and not let their backgrounds limit their potential. “For the sake of what you want to be tomorrow, for the sake of you that need to be what God has destined you to be… the only thing you need to do is stay focused and believe in yourself. You must not allow your background to put your back on the ground,” she said.
A pharmacist, Sylvester Emeka Ugbala, also addressed the dangers of drug abuse, emphasising its role in causing youths to make poor decisions under peer pressure. “We must not sugarcoat it, drug abuse is a very dangerous thing. Pain and peer pressure are some of the factors that make you make the wrong decision,” he stated.
The Assistant Commander of Narcotics, Afenfia Imoke, explained that the NDLEA launched the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari to combat drug addiction. She also warned youths against cultivating cannabis, noting that such efforts would end in failure.
“By the time you harvest your product, NDLEA officers will arrest you, and the farm will be burnt down. All your effort for the year is gone. Why not come to an understanding that instead of cultivating this crop that you cannot sell in the open market, you should cultivate a cash crop,” Imoke advised.
Students in attendance shared their takeaways from the event. Maya Obeye from Fountain College said: “I attended this event to learn to say no to drug abuse because drug addiction has destroyed many lives. I am here today to learn to save lives and say no to drug abuse from pressure groups.”
Onanaku Onyinye from Kabe College added: “I am here today to say no to drug abuse and addiction and also learn not to be influenced by it. More importantly, I am here to educate people about what I have learnt today.”
