By Adeola Ogunlade
The President of SWEEP Foundation, Ambassador Philip Obuesi has attributed the wide spate of drug abuse among youths by immoral politicians who armed youths with drugs to cause mayhem during electioneering period.
Obuesis said this recently at Media Launch of Campaign Against Drugs and Substance Abuse (CADSA) put together by AFESTAC media in conjunction with Advocates for Global Peace Forum International and AFOREVO with support from United Nations Information Centre in Lagos.
The proramme tagged: Drug: Addiction and its Challenges had clerics, educationists, media players and civil society groups.
Obuesi claimed that as the electioneering campaign starts, some desperate politicians have budgeted for drugs in other to disrupt the electoral process. Not only do such behaviours alienate others and prevent them from exercising their civic duty, but they also inevitably endanger peace and security in society”.
He opined that drugs have a huge role to play in the escalation of violence and other criminal tendencies in our society.
He challenged politicians to model godly lifestyle among our youths for us to have a safe and prosperous country.
Earlier in his words, the Executive Director CADSA, Valentine Ugochukwu Ani, aka Zhyon, said the campaign raises awareness about the major challenges that illicit drugs represent to society as a whole, especially to the young people.
He said the goal of the campaign is to mobilise support and inspire youths to act against drug use and also create a safety-net for young people consuming addictive and mood shifting substances.
Zhyon further said that CADSA is applying a very unique approach as it does not only engage in just seminars but uses the power of entertainment to dissuade younger generations from getting entangled with drugs and addictive substances.
According to him, the campaign is designed to drive a new wave of awareness among students of secondary and tertiary institutions about drug use and abuse through one-on-one sensitisation and launch of a Television drama series dedicated to this cause.
He stressed that the challenge with drug use and abuse is that the addict is not the only one impacted by the disease as friends and family can have difficulty coping with the addict’s behaviour
Also speaking at the event, the national chairman, advocacy for global peace forum international, Uchenna Ojukwu, expressed worry over the high prevalence of substance use among in-school and out-of-school adolescents.
He stressed the need for collective efforts to dismantle drug abuse, especially with its effect on poverty.
On his part, Executive Director, African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention (AYICRIP), Ambassador Chris Ibe, said nobody is exempted from drug abuse and addiction, considering its social implications on criminality.