MTN Drug Convos: UNODC country representative Oliver Stolpe to join virtual conversation on tackling substance abuse

Oliver Stolpe, the Country Representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria, will be leading a panel discussion on drug and substance abuse at the MTN ‘Drug Convos’, an online event on Friday.

The German-born UN envoy, who revealed in March 2020 that drug use prevalence in Nigeria is almost three times as high as the global average, will be part of a six-member panel that will speak on “Better Knowledge and Better Care: An Ally Against Drug Abuse.”

Other panelists include – Ag. Executive Secretary of MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya; ViacomCBS Networks Africa, Bada Akintunde-Johnson; Director General of Christ Against Drug Abuse Ministry (CADAM) Dr. Adedokun Adedeji, Nollywood actors Dakore Egbuson and Ini Edo.

The event, organised by MTN Nigeria in partnership with The Netng, Business Day newspaper, music channel MTV Base and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is in commemoration of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking also known as ‘World Drug Day’, observed annually on June 26 since 1989.

Nearly 15% of Nigeria’s adult population (around 14.3 million people) reported a “considerable level” of use of psychoactive drug substances, a 2019 survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Center for Research and Information on Substance Abuse with technical support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed.

This is part of the reasons why MTN is hosting the ‘Drug Convos’ to collate bold ideas towards solving the drug and substance abuse issue among Nigerian youths.