The Senate President of the National Body of the Federation of Oyo State Students Union, (FOSSU), Comrade Wasiu Oke a. k. a (pattern) has disclosed that drug abuse among Nigerian youths is a big threat to National growth and development.
He made this disclosure over the week end while delivering a lecture titled: ‘Effect of Drug Abuse Among Youth in the Performance of Civic Duties’, during the occation anniversarry of Federation of Ibadan Student Union, (FIBSU), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) chapter.
In his word, Comrade Oke said that youths are the major victims culpable of abusing drugs, coupled with the roles they have to play in the country, adding that drug addiction and abuse should be a serious concern to everyone as it is a big threat to national growth and development.
‘ According to Professor Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, the directive banning the sales of Codeine containing cough syrups without prescription across the country was a result of the gross abuse to which its usage has been subjected in the country. The damaging effects of drug abuse (cocaine, tramadol, codeine, etc.) range from increased crime rates, increased number of mad people, and the eventual resulting into death.
The FOSSU Senate President pointed out that the youths of every nation are expected to conform to both civil and religious laws, initiate good developmental projects, and ultimately become good citizens and heroes to their nation, nothing that this can only be achieved if they are resolute and well established, and their actions, thoughts, as well as beliefs, are geared towards achieving such positive results, but the inability of some youths to manage the adolescent period has resulted in many ‘refuge’ in alcoholism, drug abuse, and narcotic abuse.
“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), substance abuse is “the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs.” It is estimated that about 76.3 million people struggle with alcohol use disorders contributing to 1.8 million deaths per year. The United Nations reported that around 185 million people globally over the age of 15 were consuming drugs by the end of the 20th century.”
He noted that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has expressed concern over the increasing level of drug abuse and drug trafficking among Nigerian youths, adding that the situation had been worsened by the affordability of substance of abuse such as cough syrups, lizard wastes, gums, and cannabis sativa popularly known as Indian hemp.
“Nigerian Youth must ensure and uphold certain democratic values as contained in the Nigeria Constitution. Those values or duties include justice, freedom, equality, diversity, authority, privacy, due process, property, truth, participation, patriotism, human rights, the rule of law, mutual assistance, tolerance, self-restraint, and self-respect. Schools teach civic duties and responsibilities (through Civic Education) to students to produce responsible citizens and active participants in community and government. ”
Comrade Oke while highlighting the effect of drug abuse among Nigerian Youth reiterated that youths under the influence of drugs have the inclination towards becoming unproductive workers, apart from absenteeism at the workplace.
” They lack commitment and work performance, some of them engage in related vices such as drug trafficking which seriously affects the image and development of the nation, it also renders the labor market saturated with labour forces that are either unwanted or not qualified – a situation which negatively affects foreign investment because if people do not solve their problems, the society will definitely not work well.
“Youths that have run mad as a result of drug abuse turn out to be liabilities to their families and society. They either keep committing offenses like attacking, maiming and even killing of innocent citizens. Such individuals are later arrested and given strict sentences ranging from some months or years in prison to life imprisonment or even death (in a severe drug-related offense). Only a few of them undergoes rehabilitation. Irrespective of the circumstance. ”
He however said that for drug abuse among Nigerian Youth to be minimize as well as get rid of the growing number of the drug abusers, parents must spend time to inculcate virtues and moral values in their children, adding that undue struggles for economic survival should not be a defense for them to neglect their natural role in the proper upbringing of their children.
“Public enlightenment campaigns on the damaging effects of drug abuse must be beefed up by relevant government agencies, NGOs, Faith-Based Organizations, community leaders, traditional rulers, etc. Ignorance cannot be dissociated from the factors that lead to drug abuse. As such, relevant stakeholders must continue to enlighten the youth on its negative effects. In the same vein, schools could include drug-related courses in their curriculum. It is imperative to intimately acquaint younger ones with the dangers that drug abuse can pose to their health and future before they get exposed to peer influence in their later years, the NDLEA and other similar law enforcement agencies must intensify the curb on the production and illicit trafficking of banned substances, because in as much as these substances are in circulation, the youths will definitely be tempted into consuming them.”
