The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and MTN Foundation on Tuesday unveiled expanded interventions under the Anti-Substance Abuse Programme, aimed at tackling substance abuse among Nigerian youths.

The event was held at the International Conference Centre, Enugu. 

The MTN Foundation’s executive director, Odunayo Sanya, said the organisation’s intervention was driven by growing concerns over the increasing vulnerability of young people to drug abuse and its devastating impact on families and society.

Ms Sanya noted that the foundation’s anti-drug advocacy aligned with its focus on youth development, capacity building and economic empowerment, stressing that substance abuse remained a major threat to Nigeria’s future human capital.

According to her, the foundation’s ASAP initiative, launched in 2019, has reached more than 50,000 secondary school students nationwide, trained over 1,500 teachers and indirectly impacted millions of Nigerians through awareness campaigns.

She explained that the programme was designed to prevent first-time drug use among young people, particularly secondary school students, while empowering student ambassadors to spread anti-drug messages within their communities.

Ms Sanya added that the foundation had maintained partnerships with the NDLEA, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and relevant government agencies to expand awareness, treatment support, and community engagement efforts.

She noted that MTN Foundation had invested about N33 billion in social interventions across various sectors, impacting millions of Nigerians.

She also highlighted the foundation’s interventions in Enugu, including ICT and business skills training for youth, health facility upgrades, teacher development programmes, and women’s empowerment initiatives.

Owunwa Ibezimako, NDLEA’s deputy commander at the Drug Demand Reduction Directorate, warned that drug abuse remained a major enabler of organised crime in Nigeria.

He said that illicit drug trafficking and consumption continued to fuel criminal activities across the country, adding that Nigeria had increasingly become a transit route for dangerous substances.

Mr Ibezimako described drug-related crime as a growing national security concern and commended MTN Foundation for partnering with the agency through the ASAP programme.

The NDLEA commander said the initiative was a strategic intervention aimed at raising awareness, providing education, and reintegrating affected persons. He also disclosed that a recent survey conducted in Enugu State in collaboration with the UNODC revealed that more than 360,000 youths were involved in drug use.

According to the deputy commander, the survey represented a prevalence rate of 13.4 per cent among young people in the state.

He called for sustained collaboration among stakeholders, including government institutions, development partners and civil society organisations, to strengthen prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programmes.

(NAN)