Some mental health experts on Saturday in Lagos called for a holistic approach to prevent and address the causes of drug abuse in the country.
The experts made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in commemoration of the World Drug Day with theme: “Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives” .
They said that the increasing rate of drug abuse and its corresponding devastating effects made it pertinent for stakeholders including governments, families, policy-makers and organisations to collectively look at the issue with a view to addressing it.
NAN reports that World Drug Day is marked on June 26 every year to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving the goal of a world free of drug abuse.
Each year, individuals, entire communities, and various organisations all over the world join in on this global observance, to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent for society.
A Professor of Nursing, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Badru Fatai, said there was need for government to put in place policies that would drive people away from getting involved in drug abuse.
Fatai, also a Psychiatric Nurse, said this could be achieved by providing an enabling environment for the citizens to be meaningfully engaged.
He, therefore, urged government to create more job opportunities and provide basic amenities for citizens to be gainfully engaged, saying joblessness and idleness lured many into drugs.
According to him, the caregivers, relatives, friends, communities and families are all crucial to the management, sustainability and rehabilitation of a person involved in drug abuse.
He called for more security, monitoring and tightening of the country’s borders where some of these drugs were being exported and imported into the country.
On the role of the community, Fatai urged the communities to always report cases of drug abuse to appropriate authorities for prompt actions, calling on the law enforcement agencies to rise up to their responsibilities.
“The efforts of all stakeholders including parents, families, relations and governments are all needed if any reasonable achievement is to be recorded in the prevention of drug abuse in Nigeria
“Let there be more job opportunities so that people will gainfully be employed and the basic amenities be made available.
“The communities should not hide people that get involved in drug abuse; if they notice outlets where they sell these hard drugs, let them report to the appropriate authorities for prompt action and prosecution,” he said.
Also, Mrs Veronica Ezeh, a Psychiatric Nurse, called on parents to rise up to their responsibilities by ensuring that they monitor and guide their children to be responsible citizens.
Ezeh, who works with the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, said that parents were the first line of defence in successful efforts to prevent drug abuse.
According to her, good parenting can help to curb the alarming rate of drug abuse.
She attributed drug abuse largely to lack of proper parental upbringing as many parents were too busy to render adequate parental-care to their children.
Ezeh said that research indicated that young people who reported strong ties with their parents and families were significantly less likely to engage in risky behaviours, including substance abuse.
She, therefore, called on parents to rise up to their responsibilities by ensuring that they monitor the kind of friends their children relate with, keeping a close watch on their activities and change in behaviour.
“As a parent, always monitor your children closely to know when they are getting involved with drugs because drug abuse is a secret habit which may be difficult to identify.
“If a parent is close or friendly with his/her child, 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.
“The moment a child starts school (either Primary, Secondary or University), try and keep a watch on him or her and monitor their activities.
“If they have phones, try to know their contacts and the kind of conversations they keep with their friends and if possible try to know their friends in person, including the families of their friends,” she advised. (NAN)
