Anti-Substance Abuse: MTN Foundation Partners With UNODC, NDLEA, Trains Teachers

In order to reduce drug abuse, the MTN Foundation has partnered itself with the United Nations Office on Drug and Crimes (UNODC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to organised an anti-substance abuse training tagged ‘Unplugged’ for 90 secondary school teachers.

The teachers had been selected from three major states in Nigeria which include Oyo, Kano and Rivers state. The training is designed to provide teachers with the instruments to work on social influences, life skills and substance prevention among their students.

A 2021 report by the UNODC states that around 275 million people used drugs worldwide between 2020-2021, while over 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders.

According to the report, in the last 24 years, the potency of cannabis had increased by as much as four times in different parts of the world. In that same period, the percentage of adolescents who perceived the drug as harmful fell by as much as 40 per cent.

Read Also: NDLEA: Every Nigerian Is involved In War Against Drug Abuse

As a school-based drug prevention programme for adolescents, Unplugged uses a comprehensive social influence approach. In order to decrease initiation of substance abuse among adolescents, the training combines evidence-based effective components. A parent component is also included in the program which is designed to provide parents with educational resources that complement schools’ prevention efforts.

While speaking on the Unplugged initiative, the master trainer, Ruth Owotumi, explained that the anti-substance prevention programme was based on comprehensive social influence, and that it majorly targets youths that are approaching their adolescent years.

“Unplugged is a universal substance prevention programme, and it comprises 12 lessons to prevent the use of tobacco, marijuana, alcohol and other substances among adolescents. It is evidence-based as it has been implemented and evaluated across 7 different European countries.”

The ‘Unplugged’ program is one of the activities outlined for the 2022 Anti-Substance Abuse Program (ASAP). As an initiative spearheaded by the MTN Foundation, ASAP aims at reducing the rate of drug abuse among youth by delivering interventions.

Over the years, the MTN Foundation has partnered with public and private organisations to launch sustainable development programmes in a variety of focus areas to improve the lives of Nigerians.