Drug Abuse Now Affecting Many Younger Children Aged 12 To 13 Years – Trainer

A trainer with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Elizabeth Atuman, has said drug abuse is now affecting many younger children across Nigeria.

Atuman, who stated this in an interview with journalists at a training for Kaduna teachers sponsored by the MTN Foundation, said the programme is a student-based drug prevention initiative for children aged 10 to 15.

She called on parents to be more involved in their children’s lives to guide against substance abuse, “We have seen cases of 12 and 13-year-olds using dangerous mixtures. Some incidents nearly led to death. Teachers alone can’t do it. Parents must guide their children. Some children copy what they see at home.” Atuman said.

Another trainer with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the federal ministry of education staff, Jude Ikenye, said the student-based drug prevention initiative, which began in 2018, has already trained hundreds of teachers and reached thousands of students across several states.

Ikenye noted that Kebbi State was the first to adopt the programme, training 159 teachers from 69 public schools in 2018.

He added that in 2021, Kebbi trained another 88 teachers from 57 schools, noting that the state remains a key project sponsor.

“The programme gained further momentum through a partnership with MTN and UNODC, expanding to Oyo, Rivers, Kano, Imo, Delta, Bayelsa, and the Federal Capital Territory.

“In these states, 30 teachers from 10 schools were trained. Bayelsa recorded higher numbers, with 136 teachers from 63 schools benefiting from state-supported training, “Ikenye said.

He recalled that Kaduna state was the first to implement the model and has trained the highest number of teachers. Two data sets indicate that 2,414 and 1,639 students have directly benefited. But the broader target is ambitious, reaching students across Nigeria’s 228,000 secondary schools, including over 110,000 public institutions.” Ikenye said.