Renowned Guidance and Counselling expert, Mrs. Maria Ilugbuhi, has cautioned that Nigeria can no longer afford to treat the issue of drug abuse and treatment as a mere formality.
Ilugbuhi stressed the urgent need for stakeholders to take proactive steps in addressing the growing drug abuse problem, highlighting the necessity for effective treatment options for victims.
She made these remarks during a lecture titled “Challenges of Drug Abuse in Society and Treatment Options,” held to mark the 70th birthday of renowned cleric Pastor Debo Daniel.
The event, which took place at the Ibadan Civic Centre, Idi-Ape, also included the public presentation of “In the King’s Service,” a biography of Pastor Debo Daniel.
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During her lecture, Ilugbuhi presented alarming statistics on the prevalence of drug abuse across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones: North West (12.0%), North Central (10.0%), Southwest (22.4%), South South (16.6%), South East (13.8%), and North East (13.6%). She emphasized that these figures are concerning and called for immediate intervention from all relevant stakeholders.
She identified the the major barriers to drug treatment in Nigeria to include: prohibitive cost, fear and social stigma, inavailability of treatment, lack of information on where to find local treatment among others.
Particularly, she said Yobe, Imo, Bayelsa, Rivers and Lagos states ranked as “the states where it was more difficult to access treatment for drug use disorders”.
Speaking on the challenges of drug abuse, the expert who is renowned for her specialization in substance use prevention and treatment said the challenges of drug abuse could be individuals, social, economic, environmental and or global.
According to her, drugs is abused when people use illegal drugs or legal drugs inappropriately, adding that it can also include use of prescription drugs in ways other than prescribed or using someone else’s prescription.
She explained that people are also into drug abuse when there is repeated use of drugs to produce pleasure, alleviate stress, and/or alter or avoid reality, warning that misuse can cause or lead to physical, social, economic or legal harms.
She urged the stakeholders, particularly government to improve access to treatment by increasing funding for evidence-based treatment programs, expand medicaid and other health insurance coverage for substance abuse treatment, reduce waitlists and improve treatment capacity as well as provide transportation and childcare support to facilitate treatment access.
The second guest lecturer, Apostle I. D Lawon who spoke on Inner-City Missions explained that inner-city missions play a crucial role in addressing the multifaceted challenged faced by urban communities which includes: poverty, homelessness and social marginalization.
He noted that effective engagement in these missions requires a combination of strategic planning, cultural sensitivity and practical action, lamenting that the rural urban migration is having vast negative effect on many people in the rural communities, hence the need for outreach to minister to people in such communities.
He called for support for ministries that are engaged in touching and impacting lives in the inner city, adding that by adopting holistic ministry practices, fostering community engagement, collaborating with local entities, equipping volunteers and promoting sustainable development, missions can effect a meaningful and lasting change in urban communities.
The book reviewer, Professor Marcus Ayoola said the book is more than a book, describing it as the extension of the acts of Apostles.
He said the book is a practical manual for all believes who want to live a genuine Christian life.
In his appreciation, the celebrant, Pastor Daniel said the celebration is a opportunity for him to rededicate his life to the service of God by impacting more on people in the inner-city.
He expressed appreciation to God for the gift of life and assures that he is looking forward to doing more for people in the areas of impacting life and living his life for others.