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By Ngozi Onyeakusi—The Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG) will on Friday, January 9, 2024, launch a sensitization campaign against the worsening menace of drug abuse among young people.

The campaign, which is titled ‘Safe Without Drugs (SWiD) Initiative,’ possesses a wide range of programmes and activities meant to address the multifaceted problems of drug abuse in Nigeria and is billed to take off from Excellent Kiddies Academy, Bwari, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

A statement by PRIMORG’s Executive Director, Augustine Okhiria Agbonsuremi, revealed that the primary goal of the project is to equip young and susceptible persons in schools with the knowledge and skills to run from consumption and abuse of drugs
The initial targets of SWiD are students in selected FCT Senior Secondary Schools who will be mobilized against illicit drugs and substances in vulnerable circumstances. The advocacy is aimed at discouraging secondary school students from venturing into the use of illicit drugs.

PRIMORG aims to bridge the gap between the government and the upcoming generation and to shape their minds against the illicit use of drugs.

The objectives of the SWiD initiative include raising awareness among students, parents and teachers on the effects of illicit drug and substance consumption, discouraging students from falling into pressure on illegal indulgence in drug and abuse and promoting citizens’ awareness against drug abuse through radio conversation.

PRIMORG is partnering with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), FCT Secondary Education Board, Private secondary schools in the FCT and Civil Society Organisations to achieve the set goal.

Drug demand reduction advocacy becomes indispensable as a report by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria indicates that 14.4% (14.3 million) of people aged between 15 and 64 years abuse drugs.
Moreover, in 2021, a prevalence of 20–40% and 20.9% of drug abuse were reported among students and youths, respectively, with cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, diazepam, codeine, cough syrup and tramadol as some of the commonly abused drugs in Nigeria.
Agbonsuremi says PRIMORG is prepared to work and collaborate with more organizations and individuals concerned with the challenge of drug abuse and how to curtail it.