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By Christopher Oji
Nigerians have expressed worries about drug abuse, which has become a prevalent problem that could ruin the future of many youths, if stakeholders do not curb the trend now.
Appalled by the way youngsters are taking to psychotropic substances, stakeholders, who convened for a programme organised by Campaign Against Drugs and Substance Abuse (CADSA) in Lagos, agreed that aside from the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the best people to fight drug abuse are politicians and players in the entertainment industry.
The stakeholders from all walks of life, some of whom blamed politicians and entertainers for the increase in drug abuse among youths in Nigeria, expressed sadness over the menace of drugs, especially in secondary schools and tertiary institutions. According to them, artistes, actors, actresses, comedians and other performers who are role models with a great influence on youths should use their industry to showcase the harmful effects of drugs and deter youths from the practise.
They also said politicians should stop buying drugs for youths that they use to cause mayhem during campaigns and elections.
One of the speakers at the event, president of Sweep Foundation, Mr. Obuesi Philips, said he was pleased that the convener of the programme, Valentine Ugochukwu Ani Zhyon, was from the entertainment industry. He said: “The industry is the best to condemn drugs. The industry should act films showcasing the evil of drugs and the effects on the society, rather than doing films that showcase intake of drugs as virtue. Imagine how the youth will feel when they see their role models misbehaving after taking drugs. It will go a long way to change their perceptions on drug intake.
“But my major problem is with our politicians who buy drugs for our children who they use to cause havoc during electioneering. If you don’t know, know it today, politicians budget large sums of money for drugs, which they give out to poor youths who they use as thugs.
“Any sensible person who is not under the influence of drugs would not summon courage to carry arms and shoot someone or snatch electoral materials from officials who have to conduct elections. I am calling on our politicians to stop killing our youths with drugs. Rather, they should start preaching against it. I will also plead with our youths to stop the use of drugs and reject it when they are given to them by corrupt politicians.”
Zhyon, who strongly believes in using the entertainment industry as an ambassador for the fight against drugs and substance abuse, said: “I have been in the entertainment industry for over 26 years now, having worked with lots of artistes as sound engineer and music producer. I am from a background where drugs are celebrated and have done great havoc.
“That is why I can easily relate, and birthed this initiative of campaigning against drugs and substance abuse in a collaborative effort with other organisations. There will be outreach campaigns against drugs and substance abuse that will go from secondary schools to universities and will involve celebrities being at the forefront, starting from this December to January 2023.
“According to research, over 14 million people are using drugs in Nigeria and the ripple effect is devastating. A protracted usage and larger dosage have negative effects that can seriously harm the user’s health, or even result to fatality, with disease risk from sharing needles and permanent damage to the brain and other internal organs.
“Drug abuse can affect not only physical or mental health, but also your whole life, as just one pill can kill. Family and friends can have difficulty coping with the addict’s behaviour. Financial and legal problems that may accrue and the daily struggle of supporting a loved one are enormous.”
President of AFOREVO Television, Mr. Afamefuba Anawana, said that his contribution to the war against drugs was to use his medium to reach out to the youths. He said: “There is an ongoing TV series that will be launched in the coming months and has been approved by the NDLEA. It will purposely create awareness of drugs and substance abuse and will have an indigenous language.”
In line with the resolve of the stakeholders to end the menace, an expert, Amb. Chris Ibe, commended the chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd), and describe him as a “new discovery for Nigeria.”
Ibe, who is the executive director of the African Youth Initiative on Drugs Prevention, while addressing the gathering, stated that the greatest influencer of drug-related issues in Nigeria and globally is the entertainment industry.
His words: “Maybe they do it ignorantly, not understanding the effects on the society. So, it is a thing of joy that this programme is happening today and coming from the entertainment sector.
“The convener of the event has been in the industry for a very long time. Maybe he is acting as a result of experience. We have seen Nigerian musicians push drug issues in their videos. They push drug issues in most of their activities; even some of them die as a result of drugs and substance abuse. So, we are happy that we now have stakeholders from the entertainment industry coming to say no to drugs and substance abuse. It shows a step forward, collaboration and complementing the efforts of the NDLEA”.
Speaking on the recent feats of the NDLEA under Marwa’s watch, Ibe asserted that they were the fallout of a new strategy and approach to the anti-drug war.
“Before now, it was all about arrests, but the partnership between NDLEA and citizens has paved the way for the recent progress.
“We cannot do this alone; how many officers do we have in NDLEA? They are just a few in number. So, they are working in synergy with community leaders. And we appreciate the NDLEA boss for this because the recent revelation was a huge one for Nigeria.
“The position of the NDLEA boss had always been as a sort of ‘retirement benefit,’ but we are seeing a new chairman who is working to save Nigeria.”
At the same event, an educationist, Ngozi Nympha Eyo, advised that the Federal Government should take urgent steps to stop drug abuse by putting the study of drugs and their dangerous effects in the Nigerian school curriculum.
Eyo said: “I am shocked over what is going on in our secondary schools, not to envisage what goes on in tertiary institutions. The Ministry of Education should put the study of drugs and abuse in the secondary school curriculum to prepare our young ones against drugs. Parents should also stop using drugs and alcohol in the presence of their children.
“I was shocked when I witnessed a father giving his kid Indian hemp to smoke and telling him to taste what his father was eating. If the child had been taught in the school, he would have been able to reject the offer and educate his father on the dangers of drugs. Drug abuse is a serious issue that parents should begin to interrogate what their children are drinking as soft drinks, eating as candies and chewing as gum.”
A priest, Venerable Uchenna Chibuzor Ubadinobi, concluded the discussion by saying, no matter the strategies employed to tackle drug abuse, “we should consider the spiritual angle. The devil is manipulating our children to go into drugs. We should back up our children with serious prayers. Besides the NDLEA, entertainment industry and politicians, our religious leaders have a lot of roles to play by preaching against drugs.
“We should organise seminars for our children and teach them during Sunday School, while we back them up with serious prayers. All hands must be on the deck to save our children, who are our future leaders from drugs.”
However, founder/president, Eko Film Festival, Universal Movie Awards, and CEO of Supple Magazine, who is the communications director, CADSA, Mr. Hope Obinna Opara, debunked the claim that the entertainment industry was promoting illicit drug use.
He said: “That is not true. We can feature actors and actresses enjoying drugs or committing crimes, but at the end of the film you will always see them regretting their actions. I know that many have no patience to see to the end of the film. But when you watch the film to the end, there is always regret for evil action. We condemn drug abuse and other attendant crimes.”
