'Yomi Ayeleso

The menace of drug abuse among the youth, particularly secondary school students across the South-West states is becoming alarming with stakeholders expressing concern over the negative effects of the development on the society. Findings by the Nigerian Tribune in Oyo Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states showed that many of the students between age 14 and 17 are now involved in drug usage. Investigations also revealed that the menace of drug abuse among secondary school students is more rampant in the urban centres with public schools mostly affected. Apart from this, further findings showed that the involvement of large number of young people in the region in drug abuse has led to increase in mental health issues with many parents having to visits hospitals to seek remedy for their wards. Oyo State In Oyo State, the heinous act has become a source of serious concern not only to the people but the government as well. Patients on admission at the Psychiatric Section of both the Adeoyo State Hospital and University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and private hospitals are on the increase. A record obtained from one of the hospitals showed that a higher percentage of the patients are between the age of 12 and 18 years. This further confirmed that they are mostly primary and secondary schools students. The affected students and adults have been alleged to be involved in reported cases of gang violence, rape, cult attacks in their respective areas Earlier this year, property worth millions of naira were destroyed while passerby and residents suffered injuries when students under the influenced of hard drugs and alcohol unleashed terror on residents at Orita Aperin axis of Ibadan, Oyo State. It was reported that a multi-million naira newly equipped science library was vandalized. 56 pupils were arrested in connection with the incidence which was dubbed as gang violence. The incident is not restricted to Orita-Aperin, as some school compounds in some local government areas have been turned to Indian helm and gambling joints People living in the neighbourhood of the affected schools are always scared of returning to their respective homes after office hours. Decrying the development, the immediate past Commissioner for Education in Oyo State, Professor Salihu Adelabu, submitted that gang violence, rape, cult attacks, drug abuse have become recurring decimal in the public schools He, however, differed on the submission that reported cases of drugs abuse is triggered by the environmental factors. The former commissioner said: “I learnt that people are relating the incidents to environmental factors. Our findings have revealed that the environment has nothing to do with the issue on the ground. Let us look at the internal environment. Did the teachers, as well as the pupils, play any role in the reported cases?” However, a Consultant Psychiatrist and Founder of the Asido Foundation, Professor Jibril Abdulmalik, urged secondary school students to resist peer influence in prevention against drug abuse . He stressed the need for young ones to prioritise prevention in tackling drug abuse, warning that mental health problems among young people are on the rise. Professor Abdulmalik noted that one in every four persons is at risk of developing a mental health disorder in their lifetime, adding that “for Nigeria’s population of about 200 million, this means at least 50 million Nigerians may be affected.” According to him, the challenges of adolescence such as anxiety, depression, peer pressure, social media addiction, and family dysfunction often push students into experimenting with drugs, which may spiral into abuse. “The best treatment for drug abuse is prevention .Don’t even go near it, young people must resist peer influence and learn resilience in the face of life’s challenges,” he said. Ondo State In Ondo State, drug abuse among school children is becoming frightening as statistics shows that a high percentage of school children in the state have already experimented with drugs or alcohol and other stimulants. This is just as the doctors at the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Akure, said they are already overwhelmed with younger boys and girls who are still in school, in school uniforms flooding the facility on a daily basis. One of the attendants, while speaking with our reporter, disclosed that most of the under-aged rushed to the facility engaged in harmful drug use, with secondary school students among the most vulnerable. He said: “We are seeing younger and younger patients, boys and girls still in school uniforms.” He listed most of the commonly abused substances in Ondo’s to include; palm wine and spirits, Cannabis, Colorado, Tramadol opioids, codeine-based syrups, monkey tail and Skushis with concentration of local mixtures and inhaling glue, burnt plastics, faeces fumes. One of the doctors, Dr Dele Arowolo said: “We are overwhelmed, we are treating more teenagers with drug-induced depression, anxiety, psychosis, and even violent behaviour. “The cases are increasing every month, and many of these young people come back after relapsing. I think it’s high time parents and government curb these sales of these drugs in the state” He warned against the effects of long-term use of drugs by the teenagers, noting this could damage memory, decision-making, and impulse control, saying it’s a harm that can be permanent. He advised parents to watch some behavior and signs in their wards, and listed the signs to watch out for to include, loss of interest in hobbies secretive behaviour, bloodshot eyes, frequent requests for money and aggression or mood swings. A Guardian Counselor in one of the public schools in Akure, Mrs Folake Adeyeye, linked drug abuse among students to peer influence, parental influence and curiosity. “Teenagers see idols sipping codeine or boasting about cannabis, and they want to copy them, It starts as fun, but quickly becomes something darker. “The change is heartbreaking, students who were once bright and promising now skip classes, fight with classmates, and their grades keep falling. Some eventually drop out,: she said. Father of a 16-year-old, Mr Ojo Johnson said that it took months before noticing his son but said the first sign he noticed is that his son became secretive. “He locked himself in his room, avoided eye contact, and his moods changed overnight. We didn’t understand what was happening until it was almost too late and we landed here. We have been coming here for the past three months,” Ojo said. The state is Health Commissioner, Dr. Banji Ajaka, admitted the growing number of patients at the Akure Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital. He also condemned patients inhaling substances as bizarre as burnt plastics and faecal matters. While speaking on the state government’s efforts to curb the rising wave of drug abuse, especially among teenagers and young adults, Ajaka said that government has begun sensitisation campaigns in secondary schools, warning students about the dangers of substances such as tramadol, codeine syrup, “monkey tail,” and inhalants, saying we cannot afford to lose our future leaders to addiction,” As part of broader interventions, the state has announced plans to build a dedicated rehabilitation centre to treat people battling substance use disorders and mental illness. A newly inaugurated specialist mental health and drug rehabilitation hospital in Akure also aims to expand access to affordable care. Ajaka explained that the ministry is pursuing evidence-based prevention programmes, school outreach, community health walks, and partnerships with NDLEA and NGOs to raise awareness and reduce the availability of harmful substances. He warned that Ondo’s Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, built decades ago, was never designed to cope with the surge of drug-related cases now flooding its wards. “Without urgent investment in counselling and rehabilitation, the system will collapse under the weight,” he cautioned. However, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has stepped up efforts to curb rising drug abuse among teenagers in the state through school sensitisation, community outreach, and stakeholder engagement. The NDLEA in recent months embarked on crusade against drug abuse in secondary schools across Akure, Ile Oluji/Oke-Igbo, and Odigbo Local Government Areas of the state, warning students about the dangers of cannabis, tramadol, and codeine syrup. Speaking on the initiative, the NDLEA Public Relations Officer (PRO) in Ondo State, Mr. Solomon Adebayo, said the agency has also partnered with youth groups, sports associations, and school principals to promote awareness and early intervention. He said public walks, lectures, and collaborative campaigns with the state Ministry of Health have further taken the anti-drug message to grassroots communities saying the campaigns were already yielding results. He said: “Our strategy is to reach teenagers where they are, in schools, on the field, and in their communities. Awareness is the first step, but we are also working with parents and teachers to identify cases early and provide support. The fight is tough, but we are making progress.” Ekiti State In Ekiti State, the story is the same as menace is on the increase, especially among the youth population. While many attributed this ugly trend to lack of societal and parental values, others said the consumption is due to the availability of the substances in the market. Most troubling of the situation, is the level of involvement of young adults, especially those in secondary schools across the state, notably in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. According to findings by the Nigerian Tribune, top of the substances being consumed by some of the students are cannabis sativa (weed) and tramadol tablets. Also, investigation revealed that the commodity is most times displayed publicly for interested buyers around the Atikankan area of the state capital. This has made more people especially students to engage in the act because of its availability around residential homes. A school principal in one the public secondary schools in Ado-Ekiti, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, explained that the school management in recent time reported cases of drug abuse to the law enforcement agencies. Expressing worries over the trend, he advised government, parents and other stakeholders to step up sensitization efforts towards discouraging youths from the dangerous act of drug abuse. He said: “To be sincere with you, we had cases of drug abuse by some of our students and we reported the incident to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for necessary action. “The situation is worrying and we want the government especially parents to do more in talking to their wards at home. Some of these things can be traced to family failure.” The PRO of the NDLEA in Ekiti State, Ifeoluwa Fabiyi, confirmed the existence of drug abuse among secondary school students in the state, disclosing that the high rate of cultivation of cannabis sativa in the state has been identified as one the reasons for the increase in substance abuse in the state. He revealed that leadership of the schools have reported cases of drug abuse, specifically cannabis sativa by the students at the premises of their schools, adding, “ after the report, we moved in to do our job including sensitization at the level for the young ones.” Fabiyi revealed that under the leadership of state commander, Aina Sunday Rufus, the NDLEA has initiated programmes aimed at encouraging parents to engage their children on the dangers in drug consumption. Fabiyi said: “We’ve had several occasions where principals from secondary school reported that some of their students were caught abusing substances, local weeds (Cannabis Sativa) maybe in one corner of their school. “So once the report came, we always reach out to the school, what we try to do is not necessarily to punish the students, it’s more of how to assist the students through orientation. So we from time to time organize program for the school to sensitize them, sensitize their parents on how the parents can look out for their children and the signs they have to look out for to help them discover early, because early detection helps.” On how parents can help in addressing the dangerous situation, the Ekiti NDLEA spokesman added: “My advice to parents in Ekiti state would be that, number one Ekiti is notorious for cannabis cultivation, it is one of the states in the country where cannabis is cultivated in commercial quantity. So, because of that it makes it readily available, we have arrested an individual that planted it in their own compound for you to know how freely available it is in the state. “So, what we tell parents is for them to be available for their children because most times these children face peer pressure in school, but most times the parents are not available. One of the early signs of drug use is possession of drug paraphernalia.These are the things, the tools and the material they use in consuming drugs. For instance syringe riesler, which is wrapping paper, another one is crusher used in crushing cannabis sativa into powder form.” Ogun State One major issue confronting students in the high schools across the states of the federation, Ogun, the Gateway State, not an exception, is abuse of drug substances amongst the youths. This development, has become a source of concern to all stakeholders, vis a vis, parents; guardians; religious bodies; Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) among others to tackle the menace and be brought to minimal level. It is a known fact that secondary school students are into smoking substances suspected to be cannabis; ‘colos’; an indication that they have attained a certain status in life. Findings had it that peer influence, lack of parental guidance, societal influences were factors responsible for this societal ill among students. Worried by this development, the Drug Free Project, an NGO is at the forefront of campaign against drug abuse in the state. The Team Lead of DFP, Bamidele Ifeoluwayinka, expressed worries about how secondary school students engage in drugs, submitting that such action portends grave consequences, not only on the mental health of those involved, but the general society at large. He, however, advocated for periodic sensitisation campaign against drug abuse, saying such move would help in reducing usage of drug among the youths. Speaking, the state Commissioner for Sports, Hon.Wasiu Isiaka, expressed deep concern about abuse of drugs among youths in the state, saying the ministry was is working on various initiatives to address the challenge through sports. “To address the challenges of drug abuse, there is need for massive advocacy and enforcement to address the scourge. For us in the Ministry, we are engaging the youths through sporting activities to keep their minds off things that could jeopardise their lives,” he added. The Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Abayomi Arigbabu, informed our correspondent that the state government is working with various stakeholders to enlighten students on the adverse effects of using drug substances. He said that the state government has established drug free clubs in many schools in the state in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). “We, are doing our part as government, to address the scourge among our youths. We counselled them at every opportunity, especially during school devotions. We have zero tolerance for all anti social activities and that is why parents and students were asked to sign undertakings,” he added. Osun state The situation in Osun state is not different as drugs abuse is now rampant among our secondary schools students who freely involve themselves in the inhuman act. Investigations among secondary schools in the state revealed the practices of the menace among the students who regard the act as “one of those things in life.” To compound the situation, findings further revealed that, the act, at time being exhibited in the school premises, make the students to be “high” making them to believe they are above every other students in the schools.. However, in its desperate move to address the menace, Osun state government under the leadership of governor Ademola Adeleke recently, flagged off “Imole War Against Drug Abuse” in Osun public schools”. Speaking at these public schools across the three senatorial districts in the state, the governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to tackling drug abuse in the state and urged those battling with drug abuse not to lose hope, promising that his administration would ensure a healthier and brighter future for them. Represented by the Commissioner for Federal Affairs, Mrs Adenike Adeleke, the governor said the goal of the campaign was to ensure that no student or youth is left unaware of the dangers of drugs and their devastating effects. He said: “Today marks the beginning of the Imole War Against Drug Abuse campaign. We are starting here at your school, and we plan to visit all schools across the three senatorial districts of the state. Our goal is simple: no student or youth should be left unaware of the dangers of drugs and their devastating effects. You may have heard about drug abuse, but let me emphasise this. “It is a slow poison that destroys your future. Once you engage in drug use, it damages your relationship with your family, friends, and peers, and it can derail your academic and personal aspirations. “We are not here to condemn anyone. Instead, we want to offer support to those who are struggling with drug abuse, to help them break free from these harmful habits and build a better life for themselves.”