Drug abuse: MTN Foundation intensifies efforts against drug abuse

By allcitynews.ng

When MTN Foundation embarked on battle against drug abuse in 2019, it reminded everyone of the saying of former American President, Theodore Roosevelt — “People don’t care how much you know until they know much you care”.

In exhibiting its care, it embarked on how to tackle substance abuse among young people.

Thus MTN Foundation on Tuesday, 11 June 2024 held stakeholders conference in its head office in Lagos to commemorate this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

The plenary session, themed: “Breaking the Cycle: Effective Strategies for Preventing Drug Abuse Among Nigerian Youths,” focused on strategies to adopt in tackling the menace of drug abuse in Nigeria.

During the conference, the organisers collaborated with various regulatory agencies and other critical stakeholders to create more awareness on the dangers of drug abuse.

In his welcome address, the MTN Foundation Chairman, Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, appealed to everyone to play their roles in tackling drug abuse in the country as it is the duty of everyone.

Noting that job creation could run into more trouble without adequate arrest drug abuse, mostly among children and youth between 10 and 25 and 64, Adelusi stressed that “though drug abuse is global problem and each country has developed manner of tackling such, Nigeria too should have adopted method to curb the it. Unless we all join in the prevention, the arrest and rehabilitation of drug abusers rather than astigmatism, everyone, the country will further be thrown into trouble.

According to Adelusi, who spoke on, Breaking the Cycle: Effective Strategies for Preventing Drug Abuse Among Nigerian Youths,” MTN has set up the foundation in the past five years as a way to enlighten Nigerians on the ills associated with drug abuse with title, Anti-Substance Abuse Programme ASAP.

“For the fifth consecutive year, MTN Foundation has held ASAP in commemoration of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (World Drug Day) on June 26. Through sensitization, advocacy walks, training and frank conversations the Anti-Substance Abuse Programme is rallying everyone to join the fight against drug abuse.”

He also commended the efforts of key stakeholders — National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the fight against drug abuse in the country while urging them to intensify the campaign in order to have a drug-free nation.

In the same vein, one of the guest speakers in the MTN foundation, Dr Memona Kadiri raised alarm of how “japa” has exposed the country to one psychiatrist to one million patients  in the psychiatrists hospital.

Furthermore, Kadiri, in the fifth edition of MTN Foundation, lamented  psychiatris patients have risen to 100% in the hospital mainly drug abuse and because of the current economic hardship in the land.

Also in his address, the representative of Lagos State Governor, the Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogundelende enumerated the efforts the state has taken so far to include rescue of over 132,000 destitutes from the streets of Lagos, drug education programmes in schools across the state to teach children and youths against drug abuse to eradicate drug abuse.

Highlight of the event includes a roundtable discussion with key stakeholders, presentation of a short play, goodwill messages from regulatory bodies, among others.

ASAP is a multi-stakeholder; multi-sectoral behavior change initiative aimed at reducing the number of first-time substance abusers among young Nigerians aged between 10 and 25 years.

.For ADVERT Placement;
for EVENT Coverage;
Have story to PUBLISH;
HAVE Breaking story with pictorial evidence
OR wants to assist allcitynews.ng
by DONATIONS,
kindly contact us via ojezand@yahoo.com. Thank you.

Allcitynews.ng’s goal: To interface between policy makers & general public, most influential, informative and reliable issues-based online newspaper, working for unity, peace and development of the Country.

Disclaimer:

Comments expressed here do not in anyway reflect the opinions of allcitynews.ng or any employee thereof. It assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the comments.