‘Catch Them Young’: NAFDAC Targets 14.3m Drug Abuse Victims in Nigeria

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has launched a youth-targeted programme, ‘Catch Them Young,’ to address the alarming rate of drug abuse affecting about 14.3 million Nigerians.

Speaking at the programme’s inauguration at Government Secondary School, Rumuokwuta, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, NAFDAC’s Director General, Mojisola Adeyeye, highlighted the grim statistics.

According to her, one out of every four high-risk drug users has been arrested for drug-related offences, adding that arrests included 73 percent for drug possession and smaller percentages for theft, sex work, and other crimes.

“Note that this data only shows the number of arrests; if we consider that most crimes are unreported, then we will see that we have a huge problem on our hands,” she said.

Also Read: Drug Abuse: What the Nigerian law says and how you might have been breaking it

Adeyeye explained the devastating effects of drug abuse on families and the nation’s socio-economic development. She emphasised that the programme was aimed at engaging secondary school students, whom she described as particularly vulnerable.

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“This programme is not designed to scare anyone but to have honest conversations with you. This will help you make informed decisions with regards to illicit drug use, including alcohol consumption,” she said.

The State Coordinator of NAFDAC in Rivers, Onogwu Emmanuel, added that the sensitization initiative was focused on secondary students as future leaders. “The youths should actively participate in preventing drug abuse,” he stated.

The pilot phase includes two schools selected from each senatorial zone in Rivers State.