‘Drug abuse puts Nigeria in a tight spot’
The directors of this organisation are concerned about the growing trends around drug and substance misuse in this particular country. Obviously, there are some existing facilities that are being established to deal with it, but based on the research that we carried out, we have identified that there are inadequate resources within the country itself […]
The directors of this organisation are concerned about the growing trends around drug and substance misuse in this particular country. Obviously, there are some existing facilities that are being established to deal with it, but based on the research that we carried out, we have identified that there are inadequate resources within the country itself to deal with the issue. Also. if you look at it from the government’s point of view, there is no cohesive policy on how we, within the health system, to deal with victims of substance abuse or drug misuse. As far as I am concerned, those who have developed that particular habit are victims themselves. For us, the concern is about the younger generation because we feel that something important needs to be done to address it. If not, quite literally, we are sitting on a time bomb over a given period. What we hope to do is to develop a different approach to the interventions that are available for young people.
Why are you so passionate about young people?
I have been working for almost 25 years now, developing projects around young people because I am very passionate about them. I found myself actually there by accident because my background is actually business management. Somebody challenged me to set up a trust for young people encouraging them to go into education. That is where my journey started with working with young people and I developed interest around it. We, as adult professionals, need to do more, not necessarily about what we do for young people but particularly about listening to how young people see their lives. A lot of times, we (adult) think that we’ve got the solutions, but all we need to do is to listen to young people and we will find part of the solution lies with the young people themselves; hence, my interest in growing a number of projects from youth advocacy to establishing educational and training facilities for young people. Also, I have set up this rehabilitation centre for young people. In collaboration with other organisations, I have also set up projects that enable young people to have a voice. I think we need to listen more to what their needs are. At the present time, we are paying lip service to it.
In your research findings, why do Nigerian youths get involved in drugs?
There are myriads of problems or challenges that are facing our young ones today. One is the poor education system that we have in the country. The system does not build in them other types of education that they need in the curriculum itself. Unfortunately, most of our young ones who graduated do not find jobs. That lends itself to other kinds of challenges or difficulties that our young people face such as unemployment etc. We are in a very regrettable situation.
What is your experience concerning the management of drug abuse so far?
I have actually been working with young people within the criminal justice system and young people who have developed issues around drug misuse for about 25 years now. Regrettably, I have actually been based in the UK all these times. So, a lot of my skills and experience are from there. But I made a conscious decision now to support other people who are doing something constructive in tackling this major issue in this particular country at this present time. That is why I have basically made the decision to return and establish an alternative approach to tackle the menace in our society. Our vision is mainly for young people between the ages of 14 and 35 at this present time. In the future, may be, we could extend that particular age group. Our core emphasis will be around drug and substance rehabilitation for our clients. But we will do that looking at the needs of each young person as it extends to their educational roots, their lifestyle skills, their relationships between themselves and their parents and also how they perceive themselves in their own world, as it pertains to their environment and belief. So, all these will be examined to ensure that we address what they perceive as difficulties or areas of problems and encourage them to live active lives.
What do you think is wrong with the nation’s health system, especially mental health?
The nation’s health sector has a whole is under-resourced at this present time, especially when you look at issues relating to either mental illness or mental health issues. The truth is that not much progress has been made in this area in the country in the last few years. That could be for a host of reasons. But primarily, we could also understand that money in itself will not address all those particular issues. It doesn’t matter how much the government inject into it. Despite the fact that we need the resources, medical staff requires training and up-to-date skills to be able to carry out the work they’ve been trained to do. There is over-emphasis in using the psychiatric module though it is there and needed for specific issues. But I think that matters relating to mental issues really need to come up into the agenda. And those that are leading in terms of that particular area are clinical psychologists. They really need to start to place emphasis on the skills of clinical psychologists or psychotherapists in addressing things around our behaviour.
If you look at the premium reasons why a young person actually becomes a drug addict, it has something to do with their behaviour. In trying to treat that, we need to modify those behaviours in that particular individual. I am not discounting the role of psychiatrists; but what I am saying is that there is a great need for psychologists to play a greater role in dealing with mental health issues, especially when it has to do with the behaviour of people.
As a solution provider, how do you intend to help your patients overcome stigma during rehabilitation and thereafter?
The general philosophy of this particular organisation is that whatever challenges is out there, we really need to address it. Generally for most drug addicts, the issue is around stigma. The truth of the matter is that we cannot work in isolation; we have to work with their parents and other professionals. The key things are the parents and family members themselves. So, the frontline people we are going to be working closely with are the parents. We need to ensure that parents understand that they’ve got problem and it’s not something that they can sweep under the carpet. It doesn’t go away because we’re dealing with humans. I am sure because of the love that they’ve got for their kin or children or relative and based on that we can be able to convince them. If we are to examine it, most of the things about stigma are from myths. What we think about is not necessarily what affects us directly. In that case, it’s a matter of encouraging them to face it like an accident victim who is taken to the hospital, within an atmosphere of love. It’s not the people that they meet there that matter. When they leave here, the first people that particular client needs are their friends, families and those who can protect and support them and give them the right guidance in life. So, we need to engage them. Periodically, parents will come in here and they will be involved in the decisions that we carry out with our clients so that there is an exchange of views. More so, parents will be able to personally explain to their children how that behaviour impacts on the family life. So, a young person needs to understand that in modifying his/her behaviour. If young people understand their own problem, how it affects them, how it affects their family, they will be able to modify that.
Apart from the issue of stigma, the society itself will need to start to change in the ways we look at this particular problem so that we can address it adequately. What we will be focusing our minds on is what happens to them after the treatment. It might extend to further training; perhaps, it might include setting them up for some kind of vocational activities or volunteering opportunities to ensure that they are engaged in using their times productively. They will also acquire other useful skills they need to be able to sustain themselves within this rather very difficult society that we live in today.