A staff of NDLEA addressing the students during the campaign Miss Mariam Gbadebo, founder, The Mag Foundation, an NGO, has harped on the need to maintain a healthy lifestyle while staying away from excessive use of drugs to avoid health complications.
Gbadebo said this while speaking with newsmen yesterday, at the sidelines of an awareness campaign for the boy child, in Federal Government Boys College, Apo, Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria NAN reports that the campaign was organised by Restore Hope for the Boy Child Initiative, in partnership with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
It was in commemoration of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Gbadebo, a health advocate and also a kidney disease survivor, noted that living healthy to avoid being ill, was key to abstinence from drug use.
“One key thing to note is for the young ones to know that it is very necessary to preserve your health and if possible, stay away from continuous use of drugs for certain illnesses because it could damage your organs.
“I know this from past experience, not because I abused drugs but because of a failed health condition and that too many drug use from sicknesses due to unhealthy living can actually break down your organs.
“This is why we are here to let the young ones know that apart from staying off illicit substances, living a healthy lifestyle is also crucial at this point of their lives.”
According to her, alcohol and other illicit substances were a risk factor to losing a good health status, while adding that five minutes of pleasure was not worth loosing oneshealth, dreams and aspirations.
Gbadebo, listed some of the effects from the intake of illicit substance and unpriscribe drugs among youths that can cause diseases, such as kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, liver failure among many others.
“This is why we aim to make as many as we can reach out to, know the importance of staying healthy to avoid damage to these critical organs of the body, ” she said.
Also speaking, Mr Nduka Augustine, Superintendant of Narcotics, NDLEA FCT Command in Gudu, said that the initiative was well targeted at the respective audience.
Nduka, said that the boy child had lost the attention of the society, as focusing on empowering the girl child and neglecting the main culprits of social vices.
He added that the agency was bent on adopting preventive strategies in line with the United Nation’s theme for the 2024 campaign as:” The Evidence is clear; invest in prevention.
“We have rehabilitation centres in each of our offices in every state but treatment and recovery from drug and substance abuse is a great challenge.
In his address, Dr Babatunde Kayode, Executive Director, Restore Hope to the Boy Child Initiative, said that the organisation believed that investing in prevention was key.
He added that the plan was to invest in programmes that will educates the youths on the dangers of drug abuse, provide support services for those struggling with addiction, and promote healthy coping mechanisms and lifestyles.
