EU donates PPE to 25 drug treatment centres

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts)

The EU through UNODC has donated some personal protective equipment and other supplies to 25 drug treatment centres in Nigeria. This is to scale up its ongoing support to ensure access to treatment services by drug users in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.

Representatives of EU and UNODC delivered the equipment and supplies on Tuesday to YouthRise, a non-governmental organisation providing community-based treatment services to female drug users in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The donation is to support COVID-19 prevention among drug users in Nigeria. It includes disposable facemasks, disposable gloves, hand sanitizers, handwash liquid, and infrared thermometers. Also included are information, education and communication (IEC) materials in English, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Pidgin English, that provide information on protective measures against the virus and contact details of DrugHelpNet, the network of drug treatment service providers offering tele-health services to drug users.

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Speaking at the handing over, Head of Cooperation from the EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Kurt Cornelis said the partnership chose frontline and specialist interventions that can respond to the needs of those with substance use disorders who may experience limited access to health and elevated health risks.

“Ensuring service continuity for drug users and safety for service providers remains a big priority under our EU-Nigeria cooperation on drugs and related organized crime,” he added.

Representative of the UNODC in Nigeria, Oliver Stolpe stressed the importance of energising the civil society and health networks supported by UNODC in responding to the COVID-19 in Nigeria. He emphasised that UNODC is committed to ‘leaving no one behind’ and that the UNODC is working on a range on interventions and partnerships to reach the most vulnerable populations.

Executive Director YouthRISE, Ifeanyi Okechukwu expressed appreciation for the timely donation of personal protective equipment, IEC materials and provision of DrugHelpNet service in line with COVID-19 Emergency response from EU through UNODC Nigeria. She noted that “this will help raise awareness, improve counselling and support services as well as curb the spread of corona virus in our communities and among our frontline workers during the lockdown.”