2022 MTN ASAP Quiz: Champions Recount Experience, Warn against Drug Abuse

The trio of Ramlat Salman, Foyinsola Adeyemi and Ataba Shehu of Funtaj International Schools, Abuja, shared the story of their journey towards victory at the 2022 MTN Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP) Quiz competition in a recent encounter with Yinka Olatunbosun

During one of the school breaks between their third term examinations, the champions of the 2022 edition of the MTN ASAP Quiz competition for secondary students in Nigeria sat down for a 30-minute virtual chat on their recent victory at a two-day contest organised by the MTN Foundation. The competition, organised to raise awareness of the detrimental effects of substance misuse and addiction among secondary school students, was done in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The programme was built to dissuade youths and adolescents, especially in secondary schools, from using substances by promoting a drug-free lifestyle. In the end, the champions went home with numerous prizes such as phone tabs and learning support materials, while the first 10 participating schools went home with learning support materials.

It was not the first time that the winning trio of Ramlat Salman, Oluwatoyinsola Adeyemi and Ataba Shehu of Funtaj International School, Asokoro, would represent their school at competitions. The Year 10 students have learnt to balance their extra-curricular activities with the demand of their academic work, and this shows in the way they have consistently excelled at both. Their only addiction is success.

Salman recalled their collective emotion on the day of the win. “It was very overwhelming. We felt proud of our school and ourselves because we were pushed through in the competition,’’ she said.​

Her co-winner, a bespectacled Ataba Shehu, described how the competition was organised in brief.

“It lasted for two days. The first day was the elimination stage, while the last day was for the finals. We were 12 schools that started the competition, but only three made it to the finals,’’ he said.

Before the competition, they had a teacher who would come periodically to educate them about the dangers of drug abuse and why it should be avoided. That prepared them for the MTN ASAP Competition, even though they did not have a clue that it would culminate in a prize.
“We didn’t know there would be a competition like this,’’ the trio affirmed. Meanwhile, Adeyemi explained how they prepared for the competition. It wasn’t really difficult for us because we already knew the basics of drug abuse. We read the book that the NDLEA provided for us and it was easy,’’ she said, leaning forward towards the camera view.

Ramlat had cultivated a regime of practice sessions to prepare for the competition. She had access to the internet, and that was both liberating and empowering.
“Aside from the books that were given to us, we carried out further research on our own using online resources,’’ she revealed.
The MTN ASAP Quiz competition was not just an exercise in mnemonics. The fundamental truths about the danger of drug abuse had been engraved in these young minds.

Shehu shared his thoughts on the programme during the virtual chat. “I benefited a lot from the competition. I learned more things that I didn’t know before. For example, I discovered the names of different types of some drugs that I wasn’t aware of and the risks of abuse as well as consequences,” he said.
Similarly, Salman felt her knowledge of drugs had been consolidated with this programme.

“I learnt more about drugs and the street names of drugs and of course their medical use,’’ she admitted.

Adeyemi said she had also learnt more about why people engage in substance abuse. She and Salman agreed that the most challenging part of the competition was learning about the history and origin of drugs.

Having won the competition, the trio is determined to remain foot soldiers in the fight against drug abuse in Nigerian society.
“We want to raise awareness about drug abuse. With this competition, we want to talk more about it with students and adults,’’ Adeyemi said. Contrary to the view that many parents would be apprehensive about their children’s awareness of drugs, Adeyemi maintained that their parents appreciated the beauty of such knowledge and also understood the perils of ignorance.

“Our parents weren’t worried. But they were happy that we were learning about substance abuse and how to avoid it. They wanted me to learn more because now, no matter what happens, we would never want to engage in drug abuse. I want to thank MTN for the ASAP platform and this opportunity to raise awareness of drug abuse, especially among youths. We are prone to drug abuse. We are vulnerable,’’ she added.

On her part, Salman shared the lesson she’d learnt from the programme alongside her gratitude to the MTN Foundation.

“We learnt that we should not allow peer pressure or trends to influence us to do what we shouldn’t because it could be fatal. I would like to thank MTN for including our school in this competition because we have really learnt a lot,’’ she added.