The use of psychoactive substance among adolescents and youths has become a subject of public concern due to the fact that it contributes to deliberate harm, injury or death, thereby hindering them from realizing their life ambition.
This however calls for the need to fight this menace among our youths.
Ike Uke Foundation has taken up the initiative by launching a Campaign on eradication of hard drugs and substance abuse in the South-East and all over the Country.
Speaking at a press conference which was held in Lagos to unveil the Foundation’s new logo and her youth ambassador for the campaign, the Founder, Ike Uke Foundation, Chief Ambassador Victor Okolo lamented that the rate at which youths and adolescents abuse drugs is very alarming, If youths are the future of our generation, there is need to fight against it.
The Foundation’s campaign against drugs abuse, Amb. Okolo said will kick off from South-East and cascaded to other parts of Nigeria.
Speaking on why the campaign is taking off from South-East, Okolo lamented that the level at which youths abuse ‘Crystal Meth’ `(Mkpuru Nmiri : Igbo translation) in that region is disturbing and has become a public concern. “Hence, Ike Uke foundation want to do all it could in partnership with National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), to campaign against it by going to our universities, colleges, secondary schools among others to curb the menace” he said
In the words of Amb. Okolo. government alone cannot fight drug abuse, it is a collective responsibility : parents, religious organizations, society must join in the campaign, “if our youths is our future, then we need to do the needful now by guiding them in the right direction’ he said.
“If we can educate more people to realize the dangers involved in taking the substance, it will contain the spread. It will be a subject of discourse at both national and state assembly, there will be billboards all over south-east campaigning against drug abuse and we will also engage our town union leaders” said Amb. Okolo.
The Foundation also unveiled Kaydee, (Obinna Pius Ani) popular musician as her new ambassador for the Campaign Against hard drugs among youths.
According to Amb. Okolo, using Kaydee who is making wave in the entertainment industry, a recording artist and also excelling in his academics as the Foundation’s new ambassador shows that youth can excel in their endeavours if they stay away from drug abuse.
Responding, Kaydee promised to be a worthy role model and ambassador for his generation in the campaign against hard drugs and substance abuse.
In her remarks, a Patron of the foundation, Head of Department and lecturer in The Bells University, Ota, Ogun State, Dr. Nkiru Ifekwem said the menace is not only predominant in the south east, but leaders in that region want to address it and nip it in the bud so that they can go about their businesses. “It is a parental, societal and government issue, it also rise from our system of education”, she lamented.
The way out Dr. Ifekwem pointed out is the need to empower our youths and adolescents with various skills even from tertiary institutions thereby making them employers of labour rather than seeking for white collar jobs.
