By Christopher Oji
Stakeholders in security have appealed to Nigerian youths not to start the intake of hard drugs as the first attempt might become a catalyst to addiction.
The stakeholders, comprising officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Police and journalists, during awareness programme held in commemoration of the 2025 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, themed “The Evidence is Clear, Invest in Prevention.” urged youngsters not to indulge in drugs and avoid friends and family members who are into drugs.
During the event, which was organized by the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) to sensitize students of public schools in
Ajegunle-Ajeromi, Lagos, at the Bola Ige Millennium Secondary School Hall, Tolu Complex, Ajegunle, the stakeholders called on the government to do more in the advocacy against drug abuse.
In his welcome remarks, CRAN president, Olalekan Olabulo, congratulated the students for being part of the sensitization drive, stressing the need to actively fight drug abuse within their immediate communities.
“Drug abuse is not peculiar to Nigeria, but because of our environment and what is happening here we must take deliberate steps to fight it,” he said.
“When you leave here, share what you have learned. If you don’t tell your friend what drug abuse is and they get involved, it will be a problem for their future and possibly yours too.”
Olabulo charged the students to become ambassadors of anti-drug advocacy, adding that CRAN has engaged in youth-focused outreach for over four years.
“We’ve carefully selected resource persons to orient you. At the end of today, I believe you will all be inducted into the fight against drug abuse.
“I appeal to the three tiers of government to do more in advocacy by sponsoring groups that are involved in advocacy because engaging in advocacy is capital-intensive. For instance, CRAN spends millions every year doing sensitization programmes.
We are journalists and we report crime and security agencies like the police, NDLEA, correctional centres, the military and paramilitary. So, we have seen the havoc illicit drugs are causing to our children and that is why we decided to catch them young by going from school to school. It is capital-intensive and we need support.”
Also speaking at the event, Deputy Commander of Narcotics Garba Abubakar, of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, provided an overview of drug abuse and its consequences.
He warned students against the use of banned substances such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine, explaining that even misuse of approved medications like paracetamol could be harmful.
“Using any of these substances damages your organs. You may end up on the streets. It’s deadly, dangerous and hard to quit once you start,” he warned.
In his contribution, DSC Oluwaseun Abolurin, Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State Command, provided further clarity on the legal and medical distinctions between licit and illicit drugs.
“There are drugs permitted under Nigerian law for treatment purposes; these are licit. But anyone who consumes illegal substances has broken the law and committed a crime,” he explained. Abolurin warned that many drug users are unaware they are “smoking their lives away,” stressing that drug abuse has a direct impact on mental health and academic performance.
“Drug abuse impairs the ability to think correctly. Many students fail exams because they can no longer concentrate or retain information,” he said.
Speaking on the theme of the event, Abolurin noted that the effects of drug abuse are evident in society today.
“The evidence is indeed clear—many young people are battling mental illness and deteriorating health. You often see them malnourished, withdrawn and disoriented,” he added.
He urged students to avoid friends who engage in smoking or use of hard drugs.
“Negative peer influence is one of the fastest ways to get trapped. Walk away from such circles,” he cautioned.
Ambassador Olatutu Oladunni, chairman of the Lagos State chapter, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), emphasised the importance of nutrition, especially for young athletes.
“Watch what you eat. Avoid consuming substances you don’t fully understand. Some edibles may contain banned substances that could ruin a sports career.
“Sport is a culture that promotes smartness; it helps your brain, it helps your body, it helps you as an individual, and it helps you as an entity.
“Now,the major information I will be passing across this afternoon is going to be about food. We cannot talk about sports without talking about food. Food is very important. When I heard about this programme, the first thing that came to my mind was that my own hashtag wa0s going to be ‘eat well, and eat right.’ When you eat well and you eat right, you won’t even remember anything called drugs to the extent of abusing drugs
“You need to make it a culture, you need to make it a habit of eating well and when you eat well you will also eat right. When you eat right, then nutrition comes in. When nutrition comes in, you become efficient in whatever you are doing; so, you need to evaluate how you eat, what you take, what you consume, what you drink, it is very important.
“These are the elements that make you a complete individual, a complete human being. So when you watch what you eat, when you watch what you drink, when you watch what you consume at every point in time, it is very important. No matter the quantity of whatever you are going to eat, make sure you eat right. That means make sure it is nutritious, hygienic and proper.
“There are some things we consume as edibles that are not adding value to our body system. They cause a lot of damage to our immune system, and, eventually, health begins to deteriorate. So you need to be an observer of yourself by consuming good edibles. When you want to drink water, make sure you drink clean water.
“So, for those who want to choose a career in sports, if you want to become successful in whichever area or field you choose, football, lawn tennis, polo, golf and so on, you need to ensure that your food is one of the major elements you take into serious consideration. Eat well. If you want to eat yam, if you don’t want it to be luxurious, I mean it doesn’t have to be something glamorous, expensive. You don’t have to eat like Dangote when you can’t afford what Dangote can afford, but with the little amount in your pocket, you can do that if you like. You can sauce it up with onions. You do something good for yourself, it is okay. So, these are the things that make you a complete individual, when you put your feeding into consideration.
“For every successful individual who is aspiring or who has reached a teacher in sports, food has become a major element. The food you eat, the water you drink.
“At international olympic level or FIFA and some other global competitions, there is an aspect we call jumping. It is a process whereby every athlete must undergo the jumping process. Jumping is when the professionals are compelled to do a serious critical and advanced test, a highly comprehensive advanced medical checkup. We use things like complex sophisticated high-grade machines to test you. So, there must not be any trace of any substance of drugs. It must not be detected during this process, and they make sure the athletes undergo this process at different stages during the competition, before the competition, while the competition is ongoing, after the competition. The essence is to ensure that there is a smooth line when it comes to sporting activities.
“Remember, for sporting activities, it is the collaboration of different countries, different nations, different agencies, and different institutions. So we have a lot of high-class and high-grade acts from different parts of the world coming to represent their country. In order to avoid cheating and to make sure that justice prevails and everyone is treated equally, we have to carry out tests. If you are tested positive, sometimes you may be suspended, sometimes you may face a life ban. If you face a life ban, it means your career is going to come to an end, and nobody is going to look up to you again. You will be a disgrace to your country, and you will not be able to create an international community. But if you are tested negative, it means you are going to attract a lot of endorsements from various big organisations across the world.
“As I will be dropping the microphone, I want to put the last point, that is, do not let your background determine your future. Always embrace good values and good morals, and ensure that you are obedient. It doesn’t matter where you come from, everybody is bound to be successful because you are determined, and just know that the sky is never the limit but just the beginning. Stay focused. If you are in Ajegunle, it doesn’t mean you cannot be the secretary general of the United Nations in the future.
“Stay focused, keep your head high, and don’t allow anything to limit you. Please, stay focused, stay away from drugs, and God bless you.”
The programme ended with an interactive session, where students were encouraged to ask questions and make personal commitments to stay drug-free, reinforcing CRAN’s mission to build a safer, healthier youth population through continuous education and prevention.