SING Foundation, a nonpartisan and nongovernment organization, with a primary focus on issues of development in the Niger Delta, has called for a more holistic approach to tackling the menace of drug use in Nigeria.
The organization made this call, during an interactive session with the University of Abuja Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Students Association, to commemorate the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Adopting the United Nations theme for the Day “Health for Justice. Justice for Health”, the Session was on the topic, “Curbing the Menace of Drug Abuse: The Role of Young Medical Practitioners”.
Speaking during the session, the Acting Programmes Manager of the Organization, Ms. Emilia Oga said “the programme was conceived to share ideas, with the students who would soon become medical practitioners, on strategies to effectively deal with the scourge of drug abuse in Nigeria”. She called on the students “to give consideration to using their education as lifesavers to help eliminate the scourge”.
Ms. Oga stated that “SING will be pushing advocacy and forming partnerships and synergies to come up with a holistic approach to dealing with the drug problem in Nigeria”.
Some students who spoke during the session, called on government to look beyond the ban on use of drugs and substances, but put more energy and resources into enforcing the laws of the land.
The students also advocated for the restoration of family values in Nigeria, as the basic building block of a close-knit society. They also called for counselling services to be made available at all levels of education in Nigeria, to help students deal with issues of “academic stress” and peer pressure that often lead to depression among students and lead them to seek solace in drug use.
