Experts decry effects of drug abuse on Nigerian youths

The Founder and President of ImeyrReach Foundation, an NGO, Mr Oluwayemi Odubote has decried the negative effects of drug abuse on most Nigerian youths, calling for actions to change the narrative.

Odubote, also a Mental Health Advocate, made the call in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday in Lagos.

He warned that the impacts of drug abuse could be devastating, saying that drug had destroyed the future of most youths.

He outlined the devastating effects of drug abuse to include dire health risks, as prolonged abuse leads to brain damage, organ failure, mental illness, and in many cases, death.

He added that drug abuse affected not only the mental and emotional health, but also the daily living, performance and productivity of an individual.

According to him, drug use is linked to crime and violence, such as armed robbery, cultism, kidnapping, banditry and domestic violence.

Other effects of drug abuse, Odubote said, were lack of concentration, depression, kidney damage, cardiovascular disease, loss of weight and murder/assassination.

“It is worrisome that Nigeria occupies a prominent place in the global hard drug use and trafficking index.

“Drug abuse destroys destiny, dreams and makes the user useless for life if care is not taken.

“It can also truncate national development, as a generation enslaved by drugs weakens the nation’s workforce, security, and productivity.

“Many students hooked on drugs drop out, ruining their academic and career prospects, while parents and siblings suffer emotionally and financially when a young member becomes addicted,” he said.

On the remedial approaches, Odubote expressed optimism that there was hope but only if Nigerians act decisively and collectively.

Some of the solutions he proffered were that parents must be more present in their children’s lives, monitoring peer groups and offering emotional support.

He said, “Research shows that young people who reported strong ties with their parents and families were significantly less likely to engage in risky behaviours, including substance abuse.

“As a parent, always monitor your children closely to know when they are getting involved with drugs because drug abuse is a secret habit which may be difficult to identify.

“If a parent is close or friendly with his/her child, having established good relationship with the child, such parent will be able to know when the child is going astray or getting involved in illicit drugs,”

Contributing, the Chief Executive Officer, Adicare Rehabilitation Home, an NGO, Mrs Veronica Ezeh, said that education remained a major medium to discourage people from getting involved with drugs.

According to her, a lot of youths who get involved in drugs do not know that the action can have negative effects on them, saying that some abuse drugs due to friends or peer group influence.

She advised that schools should incorporate drug education into their curricula, empowering students to make informed decisions.

Ezeh called for more security, monitoring and tightening of the country’s borders where some of these drugs were being exported and imported into the country.

“Governments at all levels must close loopholes that allow the circulation of illicit drugs.

“Young people must also be at the forefront of this fight—using music, art, and social media to spread anti-drug messages and inspire healthier lifestyles.

“Similarly, government must be proactive in job creation and economic opportunities.

“Empowering youths with jobs, vocational training, and entrepreneurship opportunities will reduce idleness and hopelessness that drive drug use,” she said.