Sports
The youths of Gowon Estate, Egbeda in Mosan-Okunola Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Lagos, are using the ongoing World Cup in Russia to fight illicit drug use among young people.
The youths, under the auspices of “Gowon Estate Youth Organisation – Reformed Alliance Mission’’, are collaborating with an NGO, “Playyer’’, to create awareness about the inherent dangers in using such drugs.
One of the bock of flats in Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Lagos State.
“As people who grew up in this estate, we know how peaceful the environment used to be. We have noticed issues of drugs usage now.
“We have also noticed that youths have veered into illicit drugs use to express themselves, leading them into vices,’’ Mr Aloysius Ezeh, Director of Playyer, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.
“We have realised that there is now increase in petty crimes such as gang fights, car vandalism and burglary among others.
“Investigations show that they are carried out by youths who engage in excessive use of drugs without caring about the adverse effects, including mental disorder, may be, out of ignorance,’’ Ezeh said.
He said that to combat the growing incidence of drug use, the youth organisation and Playyer decided to use the World Cup to set up viewing centres to gain the attention of the youth.
“We want to create awareness on the dangers inherent in such habits, using football which is a popular sport globally to get their attention and pass on our message.
“We want parents to critically watch over their wards, and the petty businessmen who sell drug to them to stop because of its harmful effects.
“We will make sure that we use the projector provided by one of us, Mr Kester Mbanaso to ensure that we publicly bring live matches of the Super eagles and other African teams to the youth.
“The essence is for them to gather at a venue where we can talk to them about illicit drug use,’’ the chairman said.
Ezeh said that on the day of the Super Eagles first match, they had a “Say No to Drug Use Walk’’ round the estate and conducted free health services, including sugar and blood pressure check with 100 people benefitting.
He thanked Mbanaso for making the projector available throughout the duration of the World Cup and urged other philanthropists to as much as possible be involved in the fight against drug abuse.
NAN reports that no fewer than 300 people watched the Nigeria versus Croatia match at the open air viewing centre. The Super Eagles lost 0-2 to the Vatreni of Croatia.
Reacting, Mbanso said that providing the projector was borne out of the pain he felt each time he saw the youth wasting themselves with illicit drugs
“It is my little contribution to making the estate peaceful, habitable and reforming the lives of the many youth who are jobless.
“I believe that if more awareness is created about the use of these psychoactive drugs, the society will be a better place to live in,’’ the banker said.
He lamented the taking over of the field (Kuwait) where the youth resident in the estate played football and other sports by some land speculators, recalling that some professional footballers were discovered from it.
Mbanaso also appealed to well-to-do residents to assist in the efforts to rid the estate of miscreants. (NAN)
– Jun. 18, 2018 @ 13:35 GMT |
Tags: Egbeda in Mosan-Okunola Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Lagos The youths of Gowon Estate
