How A New Programme Aims To Tackle Substance Abuse Among Nigeria’s Youth
Nigeria is in the throes of a substance abuse crisis. A 2018 NOI Polls survey concludes that marijuana, codeine and alcohol are the most abused substances in Nigeria, “particularly amongst teenagers and young adults aged between 15 – 29 years.”
Furthermore, a 2016 United Nations Office on Drug and Crime report highlighted the country as a known trafficking hub for controlled substances especially cannabis, with young Nigerians in large urban areas often entangled in drug-related offences. In North-West and South-East Nigeria, solvents and inhalants are more prevalent in rural areas, while in much of North Western and North Central Nigeria, the abuse of local plants via smoking is huge.
In a bid to help address a growing national problem, the MTN Foundation and other stakeholders launched a thought provoking multi-stakeholder initiative, the Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP), to increase the awareness of substance use and addiction among Nigerian youths. The campaign, which kicked off on December 19th, 2018 in Ikoyi, Lagos had in attendance, state dignitaries, health practitioners, MTN officials and brand ambassadors.
Featuring a dedicated microsite, access to excellent resources from leading experts on the matter, the campaign aims to shine the spotlight on the prevalence of drugs and controlled substance abuse, highlight the health and social risks involved, and deliver interventions and fieldwork campaigns that reduce the rate of first-time users of addictive substances within the 10 to 25-year age range.
As Nonny Ugboma, Executive Secretary of the MTN Foundation puts it, “It is our responsibility as guardians and role models to chart the right course for our children and teenagers and set the right examples for them. Project ASAP is a stand for the right examples we seek”.
The programme, which will utilise a content generated campaign tagged ‘My Brighter Future’ and field outreaches in Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Enugu, Bauchi and Kano, has set itself some lofty goals – including preventing, reducing and stopping first time and habitual substance abuse among young people aged between 10 and 25 years in urban and semi-urban Nigeria.
