The Pan-African Student Union Parliament (ASUP), has called on youths to shun all forms of criminality and deviant behaviours including drug abuse and addiction to succeed in life.
Kewul Suleh, Speaker of the union made the call during the presentation of Pan-African Leadership Prize for Excellence to the Medical Director, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, Dr Oluwayemi Ogun, on Friday, in Lagos.
Suleh said one of the mandates of the union was to campaign against use of illicit substances, drug abuse and addiction, which he said had eaten deep into society.
According to him, the union has been moving round Nigerian universities and polytechnics to educate students on the dangers of drug abuse and the need to abstain from it.
He said that drug abuse among young people had left them with depression, high level of suicide and all forms of crimes.
“We campaign against drug abuse; going to universities to sensitise students to the implications of drug abuse and why they must abstain.
“We have come to the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba to see how we can partner to proffer lasting solution to the issue of drug abuse in Nigeria.
“To that effect, we presented a Prize for Excellence Award to the hospital’s Medical Director in appreciation of the hospital’s contributions toward the control and management of drug abuse in Nigeria so far,” he said.
Suleh, therefore, urged the youth to shun any act of violence, drug abuse and deviant behaviours, saying such were capable of derailing their life and the nation’s development drive.
He said adolescents and early adulthood were periods when many changes occurs; making youths to experiment a lot of things, including illicit drugs.
Also speaking, Mr Henry Nwankwo, Nigerian Coordinator, ASUP, said there was the need to scale up awareness and enlightenment campaigns particularly to parents on the effects of drug abuse to mental health.
Nwankwo said that parents and guardians must take up the responsibility of monitoring and mentoring their children and the youth in the right way.
He urged parents to monitor their children and wards to prevent them from being influenced by negative peers to drug abuse and addiction.
“I always say that parents should be able to monitor their children closely because drug abuse is a secret habit which may be difficult to identify.
“But if a parent is close or friendly with his/her child even while in the university, having established good relationship with the child, such parent will be able to know when the child is going astray or getting involved in illicit drugs,” he said.
He, however, called on the government to intensify more efforts in diversifying the nation’s economy so that youths would be empowered.
“Let the government diversify into agriculture and mineral resources development, this is the only way to keep the youth empowered and engaged,” he said.
Ogun, in her acceptance speech, appreciated the union for identifying with the hospital and called for a control in the production and sale of substance that could trigger drug abuse.
She decried the rate at which drug substances were been sold at every corner of the society, saying that the products were now in sachet forms, making it more affordable, accessible and easy to consume.
Ogun warned that drug affects the vital organs of the human body and had physical, social and mental effect on an individual.
According to her, youths take drugs due to the influence of peer group pressure to improve self esteem.
Ogun said that drug availability, accessibility, wrongful prescription and lack of drug education were contributing factors to drug abuse in Nigeria.
She said that youths, particularly university students were more vulnerable to drug addiction, saying that eight out of every 10 patients brought to the psychiatric clinic of the hospital were youths, who abused drugs.
“Prevention of drug abuse have to start with massive education to sensitise producer and sellers of the substances to understand that what they are selling causes more harm than good, so that they desist from such business.
“If the producers/sellers do not make the substances available, people will not buy or consume them, thereby making the rate of drug abuse to reduce,” she said.
