Vanguard Against Drug Abuse (VGADA), an NGO, says it will partner with Secondary Schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to campaign against illicit drug consumption among students in the territory.

The President of the NGO, Dr Hope Abraham, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that the partnership had become necessary because of his experience with the consumption of drugs while in the secondary school.

“I started taking drugs when I was in secondary school. It is common among secondary school students,“ he said.

Abraham said that during an outreach at a Secondary School in Nyanya, the Head teacher said that while the programme was going on, some group of students were taking drugs at the back of the classrooms.

“Now is the right time to catch them and the right time to talk to them because the adolescent period is a transition period basically captured between childhood to adulthood.

“That is why the group decided to go to various secondary schools in the territory to sensitise students and create more awareness as to why they should stop drug abuse.

Abraham said that the NGO would be visiting 10 government owned secondary schools to ensure the schools were free of drug abuse.

He said that customised exercise books would be shared to help the students to remember whatever they were taught on drug abuse.

“For children, after talking to them, a day or two they might have forgotten what you discussed with them, so we intend to leave them with things that will serve as reminder on drug abuse.

“Exercise books will not only serve as a reminder but also as learning tools so that whenever they open to write or read, it reminds them of the negative impact of drug abuse.“

Abraham noted that the NGO intended to establish anti-drug clubs in the schools to be visited so as to help sustained the sensitisation programme. (NAN)

– Oct. 3, 2018 @ 14:52 GMT |