Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Nigerian youths and students to avoid the use and misuse of psychoactive drugs, emphasizing that such substances have no value in life and instead inflict massive harm.
Obasanjo made the call at the second edition of the Fly Above The High anti-drug campaign conference in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Obasanjo emphasized the growing problem of drug misuse in Nigeria and West Africa, urging young people to exercise caution. Reflecting on his experience as Chairman of the West African Drug Commission under the Kofi Annan Foundation, he expressed anxiety at the region’s change from a transit point for drugs to a center of consumption.
“But to our dismay, displeasure, and pain, at the end of the exercise, we found out that West Africa has equally been a centre for drug consumption in a very bad way. That was more than 10 years ago, so the situation has since gone worse. And whatever applies to West Africa applies to all other parts of Africa,” he said.
The former president also revealed a personal experience about his early attempt to start smoking, which resulted in severe coughing and discouraged him from continuing.
“If I had persisted, I could have become addicted. Once you get involved, it is difficult to get out,” he said, warning the gathering of youths, students, mental health specialists, and policymakers.
“There’s nothing drug can do for you except destruction,” Obasanjo declared, urging those already addicted to seek help while cautioning society against stigmatizing them.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli