‘Drug Abuse Taking Dangerous Dimensions In Schools’

Kwara State Government has partnered the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), MTN Foundation and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to train principals and teachers in selected schools on curbing drug abuse among pupils and students. Speaking at the stakeholders’ engagement on the UNODC Unplugged Teachers Training in Ilọrin, Governor AbdulRahman […]

Kwara State Government has partnered the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), MTN Foundation and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to train principals and teachers in selected schools on curbing drug abuse among pupils and students.

Speaking at the stakeholders’ engagement on the UNODC Unplugged Teachers Training in Ilọrin, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq warned that drug abuse was taking a dangerous dimension at the primary school level.

The governor, represented by his Special Adviser and Counsellor, Alhaji Saadu Salahu, said the workshop was part of the government’s efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of drug addiction and abuse among young people.

“This engagement in collaboration with MTN focuses essentially on teachers as critical stakeholders, opinion moulders and child builders who shape the youth from the beginning,” he said.

Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, said the government has zero tolerance for drug abuse.

He recalled that recently recruited teachers were subjected to mandatory drug tests and those who failed lost their appointments.

Special Assistant to the Governor on Drug Abuse Prevention and Control, Mukail Aileru, said the training was significant because it centred on the Unplugged Teachers Training Programme, a globally recognised school-based prevention initiative.

“By equipping our teachers with knowledge, skills and strategies to educate students about the dangers of drug use, we are investing in prevention rather than cure,” he said.

NDLEA Deputy State Commandant, Jamilu Usman, highlighted recent successes, including the seizure of drugs worth billions of naira in the state.

MTN Foundation’s Manager of Sales and Trade Development in Kwara, Chinyere Ikechi, said the initiative would help integrate correct information on substance abuse into school curricula to promote positive behavioural values.

She explained that the foundation launched its Anti-Substance Abuse Programme in 2019 and has since educated millions nationwide in partnership with NDLEA and UNODC.

UNODC representative and trainer, Maria Ilugbuhi, said 30 teachers selected for the first phase would be trained on 12 lessons covering knowledge building, relationship skills, decision making and social competencies.

“The goal is to reduce substance use among students and strengthen teacher-student relationships. We want students struggling with addiction to see their teachers as counsellors they can approach,” she said.

Some participants, including Nuhu Kabiru Wada of Baptist Grammar School, Okuta, Adebayo Rashidat of Queen Elizabeth School and Olanipekun Pius of Offa Grammar School, said the training would better equip them to prevent drug abuse among students.