Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa
As part of efforts to sustain the relative peace in the Niger Delta region, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has intensified its campaigns across nine states in the region to end cultism and drug abuse among youths.
The acting Managing Director of NDDC, Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, yesterday led officials of the commission to Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where they sensitised students drawn from various secondary schools in the state on the dangers of cultism, drug abuse and other social vices.
The commission, which earlier held similar programmes in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States with support from the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Okon Umana, also distributed educational tabs configured with one year subscriptions and smart school bags to the students.
Audu-Ohwavborua, who was represented by the NDDC Director of Youths and Sports, Offiong Ephraim, at the one-day seminar tagged: ‘The Dangers of Drug Abuse and Cultism’, said apart from illicit hard drugs, students should abstain from taking drugs without prescriptions from medical experts.
Audu-Ohwavborua said there was a correlation between drug abuse and cultism, stressing that secret cult members were always induced by drugs to engage in social vices.
According to him, “We have had a problem in this country about drugs and drug abuse. So it is always good to see a medical practitioner or a doctor before you consume anything into your system.
“But the one we feel concern about is the use of illicit, illegal and all kinds of drugs. We saw that even the students are more compelled to doing that than even adults.
“We have come to discover that even in secondary schools now, some of you, I don’t know where you copy those things from, try to sniff all kinds of things you see. Of what use is that going to be to you? It is definitely going to destroy you.
“We discovered that most members of one cult or another are people that are into drugs because it is believed that maybe the drugs will make them high, as there are some things you might not ordinarily do, but the moment you become high, you probably are not even in charge of yourself anymore, and you thereby indulge in various nefarious activities.”
Also, the Bayelsa State Director of the NDDC, Theophilus Alagoa, harped on the need for students and others to avoid self-medication, saying it could lead to their untimely death.
He said: “Some of us are taking it. We may even be taking supplements without prescriptions. It is a serious matter.”
Speaking during the panel discussion, the Special Adviser to the NDDC boss on Youths and Sports, Udengs Eradiri, said the programme was designed to cover the nine states of the Niger Delta.
Eradiri said the event offered a unique opportunity to educate the youths about the ills of drug abuse and cultism-catching them young from secondary schools.
He said as an interventionist agency, it’s the responsibility of the NDDC to develop and prepare the young ones for better future and help them avoid distractions associated with bad gangs.
The SA encouraged the students to spend their time on the educational tabs, and warned them against selling the e-learning equipment.
One of the students, Ayoletegite Ebikiemmo, from the Government Girls
Secondary School in Nembe promised to educate her colleagues on the dangers of cultism and illicit drugs.
She said “I really feel great about the programme because it is a great opportunity that NDDC is using to impact the knowledge on the ills of drug abuse and cultism. I am very glad that I have the privilege to be here. So I am very happy and I appreciate the NDDC.”
Also, Dressman Ebipere from the Community Secondary School in Okoloba said he had been thought how to flee from cultism and hard drugs.
He said: “Cultism is bad and has the ability to destroy my future. It can affect me mentally, socially, psychologically and physically. Their operations and meetings are done in secret, and I have learnt that I should avoid such dangerous groups.”
