DON LAMENTS HIGH RATE OF DRUG ABUSE AMONGST YOUTH, RECOMMENDS COLLABORATIVE SOLUTION (2)
A don, who has done extensive work on effects of drug abuse, has said the condition is a disease which requires treatment . Dr Olisa Ndekwu, Associate Professor of Broadcasting at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, stated this while delivering a special lecture at the University. In the lecture titled ‘Drug abuse in the family: its appreciation and management’, he said it was important for anybody with the problem to admit it, and present himself for treatment. He said research has shown that the most abused drugs are narcotics, depressants, stimulants, cocaine, cannabis and hallucinogens. He said drug abuse amongst young people, especially those in higher institutions, has become high and worrisome. He recommended a collaboration between various agencies in dealing with the problem.
‘ There must be a properly organized collaboration between parents, school management and the country’s relevant professional bodies, such as psychologists, Psychiatrists, Sociologists, Youth and Welfare Officers, Counsellors, Educationalists, Ministry of Health and law enforcement agents . They must adopt methods and skills which are effective for treatment and rehabilitation, avoiding threats and dramatization’ the don noted.
He said young people are influenced into drug abuse through the influence of mass media, peer pressure, family backgrounds among others. He identified some ways parents could identify the involvement of their children and wards in drug abuse to include hostility in discussing drugs, memory lapses, ignoring school assignments, absenteeism, bloodshot eyes, incoherent speech, indifference to hygiene, dilated pupils, body marks and tattoos, lying, and chronic dishonesty. He said those signs can help anyone to detect an addict or beginning addict. He said the social distance between parents and the children must be close enough for parents to notice the identified changes. He advised that the earlier a drug problem is identified and faced, the less difficult it is to overcome, stating that parents must not confront the young ones to discuss the matter when the young one under the influence of drugs, but should find the right time to discuss the matter in a calm and objective manner .
He reiterated that drug abuse is a disease condition that requires treatment, warning that it does not go away within a short time. He said it takes time and patience to deal with it. He said the best way to help an addict or user to recover is to remove ignorance, and have adequate attitude based on knowledge. Dr Olisa had undergone United Nation’s facilitated trainings in United states of America, and other places.
Responding to a question after the lecture, he reiterated that the sickness of drug addiction takes a long time to heal, advising all those involved in its management to be patient. The Vice- Chancellor of the University, Rt. Rev. Professor Dapo Asaju, said the University will continue its zero tolerance of drug abuse, reiterating that any student found in possession of illicit drugs would be expelled from the institution. At the end, Professor Tunji Titilola, Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences and Professor Muyiwa Poopola, Head of Department of Communication and Media Studies, thanked Ndekwu for the lecture, and wished him well in his feature endeavor as he retires from Ajayi Crowther University, which he joined in 2006, stating that the lecture was a befitting valedictory one.
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