Silec Initiatives Joins Fight to Save More Youths from Drug Abuse

Silec Initiatives, a not-for-profit making organisation in the country combating drug abuse, has teamed up with relevant stakeholders to support the efforts of governments at various levels to salvage the future of the youths from drug and substance abuse. 

Silec Initiatives presented its plans at the Vision Re-classification and Sensitisation in the Fight against Drug Abuse in Nigeria which was held recently.

The Founder and President of Silec Initiatives, Sunny Irakpo, in his remarks, admitted that no nation can develop without the energetic workforce of the youthful population. 

With recent findings by the National Bureau of Statistics that Nigeria’s youth population stands between 65 to 70 per cent, Irakpo said the youths represent power, agility, development, ideas, transformation, creativity, and 21st-century thinking that are required to move a nation forward amongst the comity of nations. 

“It will be a great disservice for us as patriots to leave this important population demography to their fate to die aimlessly and shamelessly without fulfilling their dreams and aspirations as a result of drugs and addictions, which in recent times have taken over our communities, towns and the nation as a whole,” the President bemoaned.

While speaking on “Understanding the Importance of our Youths in Nation Building”, Irakpo cited the United Nations Office on Drug Control (UNODC) survey in 2018. It states that the worst victims of drugs are from the age bracket of 18 and 39 years. 

In the words of the founder, the intake of these drugs is not just the conventional drugs but unconventional (substances) drugs. “The uncontrolled consumption of these unconventional drugs has thrown many of our youths to the state of insanity and it has consequently sent many vibrant and promising youths to their early graves. 

“According to a report from the Psychiatrists Association of Nigeria as of 2018, with a shocking revelation that 85 percent of insane individuals (mad people) in Nigeria are youths between the age bracket of 18-38 years and it’s as a result of drug abuse.”

He further decried that Nigeria is the highest marijuana smoking country in the world with 19.4 percent of her population indulging in it as reported in THISDAY Newspaper of 24th May 2019. “It states that 20.8 million Nigerians are marijuana smokers with an estimated value of $15.3billion spent yearly. 

Presently, he added, drugs are being abused in various primary, secondary and tertiary education, where students smoke cannabis like no man’s business. He, therefore, warned that this action is fuelling cultism, radicalism and criminality in our schools. “It has become a norm, a worrying phenomenon that we must nip at the bud.”

He also highlights “A poly drug called Colorado with fatal damages currently wreaking havoc amongst the youths in our society with different street names such as; baba, colos, puff-puff pass, malofa, loud, lamba, happy boy, black mamba, colorado, Spice, MP 15 to mention but a few.

“I am crying once again for help on behalf of the Nigerian youth because just recently, we lost some promising youths full of life to this cankerworm”.

He also listed some drug experimentation by young people, including females, daily. They are Lipton soaked with Regal gin – Tramadol – Codeine, mixture with soft drinks, dry pawpaw leaves, Hypo in Lacasera, Tom Tom in Lacasera, Spirogyra, Rohypnol, Gum, 10 days Urine, Methylated spirit in Codeine, Methylated spirit in Coke, Dry plantain leaves, Cannabis (Igbo) in Regal gin, Burnt Tyres, Burnt Bitumen, Soaked used menstruation pads, Lizard Excreta, Rotten dried blended fish mixed with powder – Goose among others.

“This trend of drug experimentation is worrisome to me and many Nigerians who see the future of Nigeria and her youths going into the air like smoke,” adding that “We wish to once again declare our strong commitment to complement the efforts of NDLEA in the war against drug abuse in Nigeria, calling on all Nigerians to see the fight as ours and not a Buba Marwa’s fight.”

According to Irakpo, this is a fight that requires “Our concerted efforts to save our children, youths and nation from colossal damages. If we must be ranked amongst developed nations of the world via the instrumentality of the youths, our vision re-classification and sensitisation is therefore based on this cardinal point helping to address this social malady that has brought pain and disintegration to many families.”

As a pragmatic NGO, the founder emphasised that they have taken multidimensional approaches to combat this menace by reaching out to the public through different platforms.

Silec Initiatives, therefore, is an idea of the Silec Entertainment Concept. It was borne out of the passion and zeal to confront key social problems that affect the youths in Nigerian society and across the continent. 

The Silec Initiatives is an independent not-for-profit making initiative created in the year 2010, with its first project being an Enlightenment Campaign against Drug Abuse and other related social vices crippling the economic potentials and lives of promising youths in our society. This was done under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme in Lagos, Nigeria and we have never relented to date.

In its modest contribution to nation-building, Silec Initiatives says it is challenged by all these sad developments, hence, has teamed up to support the efforts of various governments at different levels to salvage the future of the youths from threatening decadence and by extension save the nation from total moral devastation.