28/11/2025
Friday, November 28, 2025
NOA Rivers holds social media dialogue on DRUG ABUSE, MOBILIZING THE COMMUNITY: CREATING A WEB OF SUPPORT AND PREVENTION.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) Rivers State Directorate on Friday 28th of November, 2025 held its weekly social media dialogue with a focus on the topic: DRUG ABUSE, MOBILIZING THE COMMUNITY: CREATING A WEB OF SUPPORT AND PREVENTION.
The live Facebook event created a platform for Nigerians to learn more about drug abuse and how it has affected people especially the youths in the society.
The session delved into key aspects of drug abuse, including it's meaning, causes, effects and consequences on individuals and the society as well as the various ways we can reduce this contemporary social problem to the barest minimum.
Among the guest discussants were;
1. MR. FRANK ENE-AWAJI (PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST).
2. DR. NKECHI P. NNAJI (ASST. DIRECTOR/COMO, OBIO-AKPOR LGA, NOA, RIVERS STATE).
3. MR. HARRY AMADI (PUBLICITY AND INFLUENCE OFFICER, MADAV, RIVERS STATE).
The discussants emphasized that drug abuse refers to harmful use of psychoactive substances including alcohol, tramadol and illicit drugs like ma*****na, co***ne, ice, etc. Drug abuse is caused by so many social factors that include decline of family value systems, parents not playing their roles properly, children and youth therefore not receiving proper guidance, peer pressure, social media influence, poverty and unemployment. Substance abuse has been identified as a major public health issue that undermines development on a socioeconomic scale. It has, for long attracted public concern and serious political undertone. This concern is attributable to the potential health and social consequences associated with the use of illicit substances.
In order to address the public health, and social problems resulting from abuse of drugs, the guest discussants suggested that the government, health, educational and religious institutions, and parents must address the issues holistically with vigour through the following approaches:
1. Collaboration among strategic agencies responsible for importation and regulation of controlled medicines and/or prevent the importation, distribution and use of illicit drugs.
2. Advocacy, and public awareness campaign through the print, social and electronic media should be carried out. Ministry of information and agencies directly responsible for the end users and consumers should play active role in these. Additional funding of these agencies should be provided by the government
3. Law enforcement agencies should be honest and proactive in carrying out their duties.
4. Greater involvement of parents in the guidance of their children and strengthening of the marriage institutions for effective upbringing of children.
5. Greater involvement of educational institutions through emphasis in the curriculum about dangers of drug abuse, and of religious institutions in laying more emphasis on the protection of the body from substances that can damage and destroy it.
Anchored by Mr. HENRY TERNA AYEDE, the hour-long program encouraged audience participation, with live comments and questions driving a dynamic, interactive and informative conversation.
MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT OF THE NATIONAL ORIENTATION AGENCY, RIVERS STATE DIRECTORATE.
