LASG commends MTN Foundation over campaign against drug abuse

The Lagos state government has commended the MTN Foundation for it’s campaign against drug abuse in the country.

The Deputy Director, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Ronke Matuluko, who gave the commendation, also praised MTN Foundation for its Unplugged training programme geared towards combating drug abuse among youths, stating that it would go a long way in impacting students in high drug zones in Lagos.

She made this statement during the Unplugged training held in Lagos State.

The Unplugged Training is in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drug and Crimes (UNODC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). It is an anti-substance abuse training programme for 180 secondary school teachers across 60 secondary schools in Lagos, Imo, Kaduna, Delta, Gombe and Abuja.

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The Unplugged training is part of activities for the 2023 Anti-Substance Abuse Program (ASAP), an initiative spearheaded by the MTN Foundation since 2019 to deploy interventions that significantly contribute to a reduction in the rate of drug abuse among young Nigerians.

The training is structured to educate secondary school teachers on drugs and drug abuse and develop their capacity to work on social influences and substance prevention among their students.

Matuluko said, “The Lagos state Ministry of Education is interested in the welfare of students, and with this program, the teachers are going back to their schools to indoctrinate their students on the dangers of substance abuse, at the same time preventing first-time drug users. This will go a long way in impacting students in Lagos state, especially students in high drug zones”.

Also speaking at the training in Lagos, UNODC representative and Unplugged trainer, Ruth Owotumi, stated that the Unplugged training for teachers was an anti-substance prevention programme primarily targeting the young ones as they approach their adolescent years.

She explained that the training was an evidence-based programme. She further revealed that it comprised 12 lessons to build life skills in young people, making them more resilient to the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

Speaking on the initiative, Executive Secretary of MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya, stated that the training provided a unique and impactful vehicle to work with the government in curbing the challenge of substance abuse in Nigeria.

She said, “The reality of substance abuse in Nigeria, especially among the youths, is one we must no longer ignore, that is why at the MTN Foundation, we are partnering with the government to fight this pandemic.

“With the unplugged training in partnership with UNODC, we hope to influence secondary school students against the use of substances and make them ambassadors who will champion the anti-substance abuse cause”.