Emeka Ibemere
It was
exactly 12pm on Thursday May 22, at De Renaissance Hotel, 172, Awolowo Way,
Ikeja, Lagos State, The Drug Salvation Foundation, a Non Governmental
Organization, which seeks to an end to drug abuse and trafficking in the
country and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, with the other
stakeholders of the Agency and pupils of several schools, including the popular
actors and actress DJs, Radio and television celebrities joined hands together
to establish--Celebrities’ Drug Free Club in Nigeria.
Why dragging
celebrities into drug war campaign, you may ask? Given the influence celebrities in Nigeria
have on young people in helping them remodel their lives to core moral values
was the reason why the ‘stars’ were drafted to help preach the gospel of SAY NO
TO DRUGS!
The event
witnessed who is who in the Nollywood sector as their presence added value to
the epoch-making ceremony. Kick- starting the event off, the Chairman/Chief
Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ahmadu Giade in
collaboration with the President of The Drug Salvation Foundation, Mr. Wilson
Ehihon Ighodalo publicly launched a Substance Abuse Awareness Symbol and
Celebrities Drug-Free Club in Nigeria.
The event
with the theme: ‘Anti-drug Heroes Campaign-2014... uniting Nigeria heroes for a
greater cause’, speaks on the proactive measures to be adopted towards
preventing members of the public from engaging in illicit drug trafficking and
abuse.
Speaking on
the theme, the Chairman commended the President of The Drug Salvation
Foundation, for his initiative in coming up with such project meant to draft
the popular faces of Nollywood heroes and other entertainment role models into
the project. Giade called for more support from members of the public towards
the project.
In his
words, “the Agency had never claimed monopoly in solving drug abuse problems in
Nigeria. The need to actively collaborate with Non-Governmental Organisations
and well-meaning individuals is imperative. I commend this initiative and
encourage others to get involved”.
Giade, who
was ably represented by the Director of Drug Demand Reduction of the NDLEA, Mr
Baba Hussaini, noted that while Drug Free Clubs in schools was aimed at raising
peer educators and peer counsellors who work with fellow students; the members
of the Celebrity Drug-Free Club would act as role models to the youth
population that are vulnerable to drug trafficking and abuse.
“Given the
influence celebrities have on young people we have no doubt that your
involvement in our fight against the menace of drugs in Nigeria will yield
positive result”, Giade said in his open speech.
However, the
NDLEA boss gave assignment to the celebrities and listed the jobs they would do
as members of the Celebrities’ Drug Free Club of the NDLEA. According to drug
Czar, the objectives of the club was to include, serving as role models to
colleagues and youths in the society, promoting understanding of the dangers
posed by alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, encouraging young people to resist
drug use and identifying those who use and encouraging them to seek help.
Other roles
are that the celebrities would use their Club to support youth -orientated
programmes and activities that promote drug-free –lifestyle, and promoting
positive youth orientated- programmes that would serve as alternatives to
getting involved in drugs.
President of The Drug Salvation Foundation,
Mr. Wilson Ehihon Ighodalo said that his journey towards becoming an anti-drug
abuse crusader began with his compassionate heart to help young men and women
overcome drug abuse problems.
“I was moved
to tears seeing students with bright future abandon their education due to
substance abuse. It was equally painful to me that a good number of prison
inmates were drug convicts. At this point, I became troubled in my mind on what
I can do to save one person from the captivity of drug abuse,” Ighodalo added.
“God endowed
me with two great ideas. They are the Substance Abuse Awareness Symbol and
Celebrity Drug Free Club. The awareness symbol represents the campaign against
substance abuse while the celebrity Drug Free Club is aimed at taking the club
beyond schools. This event sets the stage for an aggressive anti-drug abuse
campaign in Nigeria.”
“The
ultimate aim of the campaign was to sensitize members of the public on the
dangers of illicit drugs, give hope to the hopeless, provide vision to the
visionless and motivate youths towards the accomplishment of their dreams. The
campaign will guide people in making informed choices and also provide
treatment and rehabilitation to persons with drug abuse problems”.
Ighodalo
said, the theme Anti-Drug Heroes Campaing-2014, was equally carefully chosen.
According to him, it would driven partly by the nation’s celebrities who have a
huge influence as role models in the society.
“The choice
of Heroes is deliberate to inspire members of the public especially youths. We
all expressed the opinion of Nigeria being a vibrant growing country, we do not
want our youths to be set back by drug use, and we want our youths to take part
in the wealth of this nation”.
According to
the organizers of the event, the campaign would engage indigenous celebrities
of proven track records known to have risen to the top of their career by dint
of hard work.
“Our society
needs to recognize individuals who are successful in their respective fields of
endeavours and encourage them to give back to the society through positive
mentoring. They are to serve as role models, mentors and champions worthy of
emulation”, Ighodalo added.
“I want to
use this opportunity to thank the leadership of NDLEA for their contribution,
support and encouragement. I also want to use this opportunity to thank the
celebrities for accepting to lend their voices to this campaign against drug
trafficking and abuse. This project will continue to give life to generations
yet unborn.”
Mitchell
Ofoyeju, spokesman for the NDLEA also explained the choice of the celebrities
and said it they were selected after a thorough scrutiny and investigations on
their lifestyles. Ofoyeju said it took the Agency several months to reach to
the decision in selecting the celebrities.
Pioneer members of the club include Dayo
Adeneye, aka, D1, Ibinabo Fiberesina, Dike Ifeanyi Prince, Olufemi Aderigbigbe,
Segun Arinze, Ama Grace, Fred Amata,
Salami Mercy, Oyetato Mojisola, Osuagwu Victor, Azu Arinz, Uchechukwu
Godswill Nnaji, Abubakar Sanusi, Kehind Da Costa Lawrence , Chizor Afam Prince
among others. The inductees thanked the Agency for the privilege to serve in
the Celebrity Drug-Free Club promising to do their best to reduce the scourge
of drug trafficking and abuse. The event was spiced with the unveiling of the
Substance Abuse Awareness Symbol and the decoration of the celebrities with the
symbol.
Speaking on
behalf of her colleagues, President, Guild of Actors of Nigeria, Ibinabo
Fiberesina, said the celebrities are change agents and they set pace in
everything adding that they are the best people to be used in such a campaign.
She said she was happy to accept the challenge in inspiring the army of her
youth fans to stop drug life in order to build a nation of their desires.
For Adeneye,
it’s a call to serve and its responsibility on him and others to see that the
gospel of drug –free Nigeria is preached in all the six corners of the country
adding that the celebrities are ready to spread the campaign, of a drug free
society and drug free Nigeria. Dayo Adeneye, aka, D1 thanked the organizers for
selecting him to be part of the project.
United
Nations Office of Drug and Crime, UNODC, representative, Richard Glenn said the
campaign was about building strategy and sensitization and thanked the
President of The Drug Salvation Foundation for his great initiative
This is not
the first time, celebrities in Nigeria are uniting with the NDLEA, in a
sensitization programme against drug trafficking and abuse. Recently at the
Obalende Ikoyi area of Lagos State and in a carnival like rally, the ageless
stallion of the Nigerian entertainment industry, Joke Silver led the pack of
the amiable entertainment celebs and walked over 300 kilometres trek in the One
Million -Man -March against Drug Trafficking and Abuse in Lagos State.
Joke Silva,
Laide Bakare, Micheal Okechukwu, a.k.a Rugged Man, Guinness Book of Record
Dancer; Kafayat Shafau (a.k.a Kaffy), Adeyemi Adeosun, popularly called Yemi
Sax and notable radio broadcasters, were among multitudes of protesters in the
one million-man -march against drug traffickers and abuse, a programme put
together to sensitize Obalende and the entire Lagos residents on the dangers of
narcotics. The great march kicked off at Obalende through Awolowo road to Dodan
barrack road and back to Obalande where speeches were delivered by the notable
celebs and other agencies that supported the march.
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