EU, SCG, Stakeholders Seek Solution to Increasing Cases of Drug, Substance Abuse

•Advocate community-based approach to prevention

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

With the alarming rate of drug and substance abuse in the South-south, stakeholders at a dialogue meeting in Yenagoa, among other measures, advocated a community-based approach to prevention and curbing of the menace.

They also recommended the engagement of Guidance and Counselling professionals in both private and public schools to stem the tide.

The stakeholders made the demand in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, at a one-day multi-stakeholder state-level dialogue, themed, “Community-Based Approaches to Prevention of Drug Abuse in Bayelsa, State.” It was part of the European Union-funded project, titled, “Community-Centred Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence in the Niger Delta.”

The multi-stakeholders state-level dialogue organised by Search for Common Ground (SCG) and funded by the European Union (EU), lamented the increasing rate of drug and substance abuse and also suggested a quick action plan to engage both government, security agencies, and community leaders to end the scourge.

The dialogue engaged representatives from the Bayelsa State government, heads of security agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army, Civil Defence Corps, civil society organisations, community-based organisations, among other group.

The stakeholders called for collective approach to the eradication of drug abuse.

Participants called for the establishment of a Bayelsa Multi-Stakeholder Drug Prevention Taskforce, with clear terms of reference and allocation of seed funding for a pilot package to commit the personnel.

The stakeholders pointed out that community-centred approach reduced demands, weakened criminal recruitment, and strengthened peace.

In his keynote address, the Commissioner for Health, Professor Seiyefa Brisibe, represented by Dr. Ebikapaye Okoyen, identified the driving factors of substance and drug abuse to include poverty, unemployment, low educational engagement and school dropout, social dislocations and family breakdown, peer pressure and weak enforcement.

On the need for a community-centred approach to fighting drug abuse, Brisibe said, “Community trust leverage local leadership, culture, and informal dispute resolution. Prevention upstream reduces demands, dampens violent criminal networks, and improves social cohesion.”

He pointed out that Bayelsa State had an existing community-based crime prevention framework that could be adapted to substance abuse prevention. He said regional dialogues and programmes had been called for collaborative, community-led strategies across the Niger Delta.

Sub-Component Manager, Search for Common Ground, Mr. Solomon Adejo, said multi-stakeholder state-level dialogue on the community-based approaches to prevention of drug abuse in Bayelsa State was a component of the community-centred approach to transforming criminality and violence in the Niger Delta project intervention, which sought to address systemic drivers of conflict in the Niger Delta.

He said the dialogue was aimed at engaging critical stakeholders to promote an inclusive approach to fighting drug abuse, particularly, in rural areas.

In his presentation, Assistant State Commandant of NDLEA, Godwin Erepa, lamented that the difficult terrain of the state, which was predominantly riverine, posed a major challenge to the agency’s fight against drug abuse, stressing that the agency currently has no speed boats for its operations.

The NDLEA official also accused community leaders, particularly, in the hinterlands of being uncooperative, as they had severally frustrated men of the drug agency in their effort to enforce arrests by making their communities either inaccessible or difficult to exit after arrests of suspects.

Chairman of the Bayelsa State Drug Abuse Prevention and Rehabilitation Committee (BADARPAC), Dr. Peter Owonaro, disclosed that the state government’s rehabilitation centre, which was nearing completion, will be put to use soon.

Owonaro said the facility will provide detoxification, rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation engagement and follow up services at an affordable rate to enable the poor and rural dwellers to access the services.

He said, “We are here with other stakeholders in connection with drug abuse together to bring policies and action plan to tackle drug abuse in the state.

“Our governor Senator Douye Diri is passionate about drug abuse and rehabilitation. The newly built state rehabilitation centre is almost completed and in no distant time will be put to use.

“When it is opened the centre will provide rehabilitation services at reduced cost so that our rural dwellers can afford. The rehabilitation centre will provide three services, detoxification, rehabilitation and post rehabilitation engagement and follow up.

“In terms of statistics, when we came on board, the spread of drug abuse was higher but now it is stable. Drug abuse is like the HIV scourge that came on board, we should give it like twenty years and we will see the decline.

“We have gone round over 170 schools in the state and we have also engaged community leaders to join us in this work and we have an international plan well-structured to suit Bayelsa State culture and values.”

A rehabilitated drug addict, now community youth leader from Etiama, Brass Local Government Area, Mr. Johnson Stanley, in his testimony, titled, “From addiction to advocacy,” said, “I am now a leader, an advocate of drug and crime free society.

“I have forsaken my past life. I have seen the light and realised my shortcomings. I know that if I return to crime I will lose everything, including respect, position and better future which I am building. I understand that peace is better.”