Health
NGO Seeks Stronger Collaboration To Tackle Opioid Misuse Among Youths
By Usman Aliyu
The Behavioural and Social Insight Initiative (BSI), an NGO, has called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, schools, faith-based organisations and development partners to address rising opioid misuse and drug abuse among young Nigerians.
Opioids are a class of powerful drugs that include prescription pain relievers, illegal drugs like heroin, and synthetic chemicals like fentanyl. They attach to specific receptors in the brain and body to block pain signals.
The organisation’s Project Officer, Mr Omosigho Destiny, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of a youth sensitisation programme on drug abuse on Tuesday in Benin.
Destiny said the programme, organised in partnership with Smile Africa, was designed to educate young people aged between 20 and 35 on the dangers of opioid misuse and other forms of substance abuse.
He said about 15 participants attended the interactive session, which featured health talks by medical professionals, lectures on drug abuse, group discussions and a solution co-creation exercise.
According to him, participants also made personal commitments to support efforts aimed at preventing substance abuse within their communities.
“Our objective is simple. We want to sensitise young people, educate them and create a platform for dialogue around drug abuse, particularly opioid misuse,” he said.
Destiny explained that the organisation deliberately adopted an open and participatory approach rather than a conventional lecture format, allowing participants to identify causes of drug abuse and propose practical community-based solutions.
“We also created a community of participants so that we can continue engaging with them after the programme.
“We gave them educational materials and we intend to keep reaching out because one-day awareness is not enough,” he said.
He said the initiative was inspired by the experience of an individual close to the organisation who developed opioid dependency after being prescribed pain medication for a heart-related illness.
According to him, the experience highlighted the dangers of prescription drug misuse and underscored the need for greater public awareness.
“I won’t call it drug abuse. I’ll call it drug dependency because he developed dependence on opioids after a health challenge.
“That experience made us realise many people unknowingly misuse these medicines until they become dependent,” he said.
Destiny described opioids as prescription medicines used to manage pain but warned that they could easily be misused when taken without medical supervision.
He urged Nigerians to avoid self-medication and ensure that opioid drugs were used strictly on the advice and prescription of qualified medical practitioners.
The project officer said that although BSI was less than a year old and had yet to establish baseline data for its interventions, it had chosen to begin with public education and community engagement.
“Our organisation is still new. This programme was not based on selecting people already affected by drug abuse.
“We believe that if we educate participants, they will in turn educate others. This is more of a proactive intervention than a reactive one,” he said.
Destiny said findings reviewed by the organisation indicated that drug abuse remained a growing concern among young people in Benin.
According to him, available information suggested that about one in four youths in the city had experienced drug use or drug abuse in recent years.
He, however, noted that the programme focused primarily on preventing opioid misuse among individuals who unknowingly developed dependence through inappropriate use of prescription medication.
He called for closer collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), government institutions, schools, Churches and other stakeholders to strengthen awareness campaigns and preventive interventions.
“We want to work with government, NDLEA and other organisations because this fight cannot be won alone.
“We also hope to reach schools because early education and sensitisation are critical in preventing drug abuse among young people,” he said.
Destiny said BSI remained committed to using behavioural research to develop evidence-based campaigns and community programmes capable of driving lasting social change.
He appealed to individuals, organisations and development partners to support the organisation through partnerships, grants and other forms of assistance.
He also urged people struggling with drug dependence to seek professional medical help instead of suffering in silence.
“We encourage anyone with drug-related challenges to seek medical support.
“We may not be medical practitioners, but we work with healthcare professionals who can provide the necessary guidance and support.
“We also call on government, private organisations and all stakeholders to work with us to achieve sustainable solutions to drug abuse in our society,” he said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
AUO/AMM
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Edited by Abiemwense Moru