The President of the SWEEP Foundation, Ambassador Philip Obuesi, has attributed the wide spate of drug abuse among youths to immoral politicians who armed youths with drugs to cause mayhem during the electioneering period.
Obuesis said this recently at the media launch of the Campaign Against Drugs and Substance Abuse (CADSA), put together by AFESTAC Media in conjunction with Advocates for Global Peace Forum International and AFOREVO with support from the United Nations Information Centre in Lagos.
The proramme tagged “Drugs: Addiction and its Challenges” had clerics, educationists, media players, and civil society groups.
Obuesi claimed that as the election campaign starts, some desperate politicians have budgeted for drugs in order to disrupt the electoral process.
“Not only do such behaviors alienate others and prevent them from exercising their civic duty, but they also inevitably endanger peace and security in society.”
He opined that drugs have a huge role to play in the escalation of violence and other criminal tendencies in our society.
He challenged politicians to model a godly lifestyle among our youths for us to have a safe and prosperous country.
The Executive Director of CADSA, Valentine Ugochukwu Ani, aka Zhyon, said the campaign raises awareness about the major challenges that illicit drugs pose to society as a whole, especially to young people.
He said the goal of the campaign is to mobilise support and inspire youths to act against drug use and also create a safety net for young people consuming addictive and mood-shifting substances.
Zhyon further said that CADSA is applying a very unique approach as it does not only engage in seminars but uses the power of entertainment to dissuade younger generations from getting entangled with drugs and addictive substances.
According to him, the campaign is designed to drive a new wave of awareness among students of secondary and tertiary institutions about drug use and abuse through one-on-one sensitisation and the launch of a television drama series dedicated to this cause.
He stressed that the challenge with drug use and abuse is that the addict is not the only one impacted by the disease, as friends and family can have difficulty coping with the addict’s behaviour.
Also speaking at the event, the national chairman of advocacy for Global Peace Forum International, Uchenna Ojukwu, expressed worry over the high prevalence of substance use among in-school and out-of-school adolescents.
He stressed the need for collective efforts to dismantle drug abuse, especially with its effect on poverty.
According to Ambassador Chris Ibe, Executive Director of the African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention (AYICRIP), no one is immune to drug abuse and addiction, given the social implications of criminality.