LAGOS – Dr Ramaan Lawal, Medical Director, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, on Wednesday urged youths to stay away from illicit drugs and know more about the ills associated with their consumption.
Lawal made the call at a campaign against substance abuse organised by the hospital’s Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in Lagos.
The theme of the campaign was “Substance Abuse and the Nigerian Youth: Effects and Consequences.”
“Youths need to know about drug abuse because that is the only way you can emphatically say no when your colleagues are asking you to take it,” he said.
The director said that most adverts seen on television and bill boards were targeted at youths.
According to him, when youths get into drug abuse, they remain in it for a long time, therefore, there is a need to reach out to them by informing them about the dangers involved.
“Most adults have formed their behaviours, but youths are in the developing stage, and are prone to suggestions and easily carried away by their colleagues.
“We need to work hard on the youths. We do not want to have a drug addict child tomorrow, because the youths are our tomorrow,” he said.
Also speaking, the guest speaker, Dr Moses Ojo, noted that there had been increases in criminal activities including terrorism and kidnapping due to the increase in drug abuse, particularly, among youths in the country.
Ojo, who is a Consultant Psychiatrist at the hospital, said that there had been an increase in medical problems such as kidney failure due to drug abuse.
“When you have increase in drug abuse, you also have the attendant consequences.
“There has been an increase in the level of criminal activities we have never had before including terrorism and kidnapping.
“Armed robbery has been with us for a long time, but it has increased among youths and we also talk about poverty and unemployment among our people.
“We also have medical problems as renal failure (kidney failure) is common and people are travelling to other countries to treat it,” he said.
The consultant said that drug abuse could only be managed and not cured.
According to him, cure is when you are able to control and manage it to the extent that it doesn’t affect your function in the society.
“We are advocating on prevention and we should focus on the young ones who have not yet been exposed to drug abuse,” he said.
In his remarks, the Public Relations Officer of the association, Dr Kenneth Uwejah, said there was a need for re-orientation on preventive measures against drug abuse.
Uwejah said that informing the public about the ills of substance use was one way in preventing its use.
“It is challenging getting people to stop after they have started.
“The first thing, therefore, is to create awareness and then government agencies should be proactive in reducing the number of people using it, “ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that three schools including Our Lady of Apostles, Yaba and Queens College, Yaba, participated at the event.
Two students, who spoke with NAN, said that more enlightenment programmes should be done to educate more youths on the dangers of drug abuse.
Miss Jessica Ekpo, a Senior Secondary School student of Queens College, Yaba, said that awareness programmes were necessary in educating students.
“It will teach children the consequences of abusing drugs and l think they should do more of them.
“It should also be made compulsory and added to school curricula,” Ekpo said.
Another student of Our Lady of Apostles, Yaba, Judith Ewowan, advised youths to be mindful of their friends.
“Beware of the friends you keep as most substance use is from peer pressure and they should make sure that any drug they are taking must be prescribed by a medical doctor,” she said. (NAN)