…As Edrah Foundation holds first sensitisation workshop, rally
By Ebriku John Friday
Stakeholders in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State including professional health practitioners, clergy, traditional rulers, women and youths have risen in wide condemnation against illicit substances.
The stakeholders made the condensation against Illicit substances during a one day sensitisation workshop/rally with the theme, Choose Life Campaign Against the use of Illicit Substances powered by the Edrah Foundation (EF) Health Division, held in Okuku Yala.
Concerned with the alarming rates at which youths from age 15 to 18 and above are abusing various Illicit substances, leading to various life threatening health effects, parents and youths, community leaders, the church, woman and the government at various levels were called urgent action, to save the next generation whose survival are being threatened with the abuse of Illicit substances.
Thanking the Organisers of the one day sensitisation workshop and rally, Pharmacist Joseph Ogboga called on various stakeholders to partner with the Edrah Foundation to make the campaign an annual event to take the message to the grassroots.
In his remarks, the Yala LGA Coordinator of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Comrade Abraham Okayi blamed the parents for their negligence in the upbringing of their children, whose well being and productivity are badly affected due to drug abuse.
The following are some of substances highlighted during the workshop as most commonly used substances by teens and adolescents according to the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, Alcohol, Marijuana, Nicotine, Adderall, Opioids, Tranquilizers, Spice/K2, Hallucinogens, Inhalants, DXM.
Speakers highlighted the effect of the use of Illicit substances to include, isolation, depression, stagnation, financial distress, damaged relationship, provokes existing mental health conditions, health complications – damaged lungs, kidney, heart, lost dreams and death.
Participants called on the government, relevant agencies of government, community leaders, youth leaders and other critical stakeholders to to partner with the Edrah Foundation and help stem the tide. Condemning the activities of the traders on Illicit drugs, they called on government, traditional rulers, youths leaders to collaborate to fish out those involved in the trading of Illicit drugs and chase them out of the community or identify them to law enforcement agencies as a stringent way to control the abuse or bring it to its barest minimum.
They also proffered solutions to the drug abuse pandemic to including taking the message of the choose life campaign against the use of Illicit substances to primary, secondary and tertiary institutions as well as apprentices training centers.
The Edrah Foundation, a brain child of Dr Eric Edrah is geared towards supporting community development, empowerment, capacity building, education for a healthy, happy and prosperous society. It is his own unique way of giving back to the society.
