National Orientation Agency, Delta State Directorate Plans elaborate Campaign Against Drug Abuse and Bad Habits (CADABH) in Warri and its Environs

The National Orientation Agency, Delta State Directorate, in conjunction with the Foundation for Development and Community Engagement FDCE has concluded plans for a round table discussion amongst stakeholders to deliberate on the most potent and comprehensive strategy for tackling the drug scourge that appears to have arrested most youths in the state in general but Warri and environs in particular.

Speaking with Newsmen in Asaba today, the Director of the Agency, Ivan Okoro said that
this is pursuant to the statutory mandate of the agency.
Quoting Section 13 (1) of the NATIONAL ORIENTATION AGENCY ACT [AMENDMENT] BILL, 2016, he stated that the core aim of the agency includes to : “…Cooperate with the Federal, State  and Local government in the eradication of anti-social behaviours of youth such as street  trading(hawking); urinating along streets across the nation, cultism, prostitution, exam malpractices, drug abuse”

To this end he said; “the agency collaborated with the Foundation for Development and Community Engagement FDCE to initiate a social research on the proliferation of the use of hard drugs and related substances in Warri and environs as a pilot which study he said revealed very disturbing details; including a plethora of had drug centers located within and outside residential areas across the area and increasing cases of female victims of drug induced sexual abuses like rape and bestiality.

According to Okoro Ivan; “the reality which was revealed by the said study is such that no responsible government or private actor can afford to be nonchalant about a challenge as massive as this since no meaningful solution can be developed, driven and sustained without a solid public/private partnership like the one that will hopefully emerge from this roundtable, there is a need to pursue this effort with all vigor and that is why we at this initial stage invited key but selected stakeholders from both the public and private sector in the area for this activity which we hope would be escalated as soon as possible to accommodate more stakeholders”

He disclosed that the study was technically driven by the Foundation for Development and Community Engagement FDCE, engaged by the National Orientation agency for that purpose.
The Director of Research and Advocacy of the FDCE Mrs. Tsaye Mene who is a pharmacologist expressed regret that not much is being done in this area with regard to the proliferation of the use of hard drugs and related substances. According to her, the study which was conducted with internationally approached social research  tools, revealed that amongst other ills, the use of had drugs and related substances have destroyed the grades of students and resulted in poor performances and  school drop outs, exposed many young girls to rape and other sexual crimes; thereby negatively impacting on their future, lured many young people into crime and led to their early deaths, constrained many wealthy people to sell their valuables at incredibly low prices and become suddenly poor, led to violent crimes at home and outside the home resulting in fatalities, radically reduced  the productivity of our work force and increased the number of mentally deranged people in our society”
Mrs Tsaye Mene however regretted that the trade in the substances has created illegal business for some law enforcement agents and civilians dealing in the substances which is an area that portends some difficulty in tackling the issue. She however expressed the view that with the requisite political will on the part of government, this challenge area can be substantially addressed.

According to Mrs Tsaye Mene, “the choice of Warri and environs is due to the metropolitan nature of the area which provides a conducive lure for trends. Patronage for hard drugs and related substances is suspected to be global and trendy. If you see the recent song, “Science student” by Olamide, popularly called Badoo you get the inclination that this has become trendy and as such requires some really drasctic approach to prevent avoidable loss of lives. From the studies leading to the proposed roundtable discussion the commonest hard drugs include; Tramadol, Codeine and what is popularly called “Monkey tail” ”.

She explained that the Campaign Against Drug Abuse and Bad Habits  (CADABH) is a project under the peace building program of the portfolio of the Grassroots Peace and Security partnership of the  National Orientation Agency, Delta State Directorate and the Foundation for Development and Community Engagement  FDCE; designed to promote an enabling and peaceful society for socio-economic growth by reducing patronage of hard drugs, related substances and associated incidents in the coverage area (the Pilot area is Warri South Local Government Area and its environs. Progress shall be tracked by calibrating the new number of drug related crimes, testimonies of transformed users and their relations, frequency of the use of existing illicit drugs,  the size of illicit drug centres and the number of new centres).  The baseline for this project having been provided by the social research work conducted by the project managers.
“The project seeks to identify, establish and build a network of organizations and individuals committed to strengthening an integrated advocacy strategy against patronage of hard drugs, related substances and associated incidents in the coverage area.  This will be achieved by identifying and recognizing existing efforts where there are, establishing one where there is none with a view to achieving the above goal. The efforts under this Pilot will then be strengthened to scale up impacts and these would be replicated as the need arises elsewhere” She said.

The roundtable according to Tsaye Mene, would provide the opportunity to assess the situation, share the studies and efforts that have been made with a view to exploring how these can be strengthened and escalated to achieve the desired goal.

She said that over 30 organizations have been invited for the round table including:


Rotary Club ( Warri and Effurun)
Lions Club  ( Warri and Effurun)
Chevron Nigeria Limited
Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company
Nigerian Gas Marketing Company Limited
Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC)
Matrix Nigerian Limited
Lee Engineering Limited
Intel Nigeria Limited
Julius Berger Nigeria Limited
AYM Shafa Limited
Pinnacle Oil & Gas Limited
SA to the Delta State Governor on Orientation
The Area Command, Nigeria Police Force,
The Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
USAID
DFID
WHO
UNDP
United States Embassy  
Niger –Delta Development Commission (NDDC)
Word of Life Bible Church
Winners Chapel
Redeemed Christian Church of God

Key Individuals

Dr. Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the Executive Governor of Delta State
Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan
Hon Daniel Reyenieju
Hon. (Princess) Sam Daibo
Ho. Bar. Dennis Omovie
Hon Efe Ofoburuku
Dr (Mrs.) Veronica Oguagwu
 Senator Stella Omu
Chief Thomas Ereyitomi
Hon Michael Tidi ( Warri South LGA Chairman
Hon Ransom Onoyake ( Uwvie LGA Chairman)

Media

Delta Broadcasting Service
Rise FM
Crown/Kpoko FM
Quest FM
Participation is strictly by invitation at this stage of the conception of the project. The The roundtable is scheduled to hold at 11:30 am on  Thursday the 10th May, 2018 at Seko Hotels, Airport road just before A.J Restaurant, Warri, Delta State of Nigeria.