“The Founder/ President (Mr. Saheed A. Imran) during his Keynote Speech congratulated the twenty (20) tertiary institution students that performed well during the FFOP/ Kareem Alao Scholarship Aptitude Test, which took place on 17th December, 2022. “
*Photo: From left Oyo State Commander (NDLEA), South West Zonal Director (NDE), Zonal Commander (NDLEA), Founder/ President( FFOP)*
COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE FORUM FOR OKE-OGUN PROGRESS (FFOP) 2ND EDUCATION SUMMIT HELD AT OBA WURAOLA ADEYERI HALL, ASEYIN PALACE, ISEYIN, OYO STATE ON 2ND JANUARY, 2023 WITH THE THEME: DANGERS OF DRUG ABUSE AND SUDDEN WEALTH SYNDROME AMONG THE NIGERIAN YOUTH: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES AND REMEDIES”.
1.0 OVERVIEW
The Forum for Oke Ogun progress (FFOP) held the second edition of her annual Education Summit so as to discuss the Burden of Drug Abuse and Quick-Rich Syndrome among Nigerian Youth with a view finding lasting solutions to the two social maladies. The FFOP Education Summit had participants from all works of life and from different parts of the country.
The programme commenced at exactly 10.30am with a Keynote Speech delivered by Mr. Saheed Adekunle Imran (FCA, FIMC) and had over 150 people in attendance including the Hon. Chairman/ CEO, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), . Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), CON, OFR ably represented by Mrs. Awogbuyi Joyce Olutoyin (Oyo/Osun Zonal Commander) as well as the Director General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE) well represented by Mr. Ayo Lasisi (FCA) (South West Zonal Director), Professor Taofeek Abdulazeez of the University of Abuja (ably represented by Dr. Azeez), Dr. (Mrs) Aminat Ahmed of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo State, Parents, Teachers, Secondary and Tertiary education students among other dignitaries.
The Founder/ President (Mr. Saheed A. Imran) during his Keynote Speech congratulated the twenty (20) tertiary institution students that performed well during the FFOP/ Kareem Alao Scholarship Aptitude Test, which took place on 17th December, 2022.
He used the occasion to mention that the Forum has exemplary processes of automated scholarship application, merit-based selection criteria as well as instant result after the FFOP Aptitude Test. So, as an FFOP scholarship applicant, there is no need to know anybody before being granted scholarship. It is a student’s performance that will stand him out among the equals due to the fact the aim of the educational support to the successful students is to continue to breed new generations of scholars. He further stated that the award of scholarship is annually conducted only to the glory of God. It is also being carried out to academically enrich the future of this country.
According to him “We are doing it because we are happy when the brilliant, talented, gifted, exceptional but indigent children are made happy”. In his remark, he thanked the Director General (NDE) for the partnership in training some of our (MURBINT, a socio-developmental partner with FFOP) candidates on solar power installation. He also appreciated the Chairman/CEO (NDLEA), “a God-sent Public Office Holder for the sanity of Nigerian society from illicit drug crisis”.
He then moved to the main purpose of the Summit where he mentioned that Youths are the lifeblood of any country and engines of growth of any society. “He mentioned that youths are more than 50% of the entire population of Nigeria but they are however faced with myriads of challenges occasioned by Youth Unemployment.
The FFOP President emphasised that unemployment normally results in idleness and it should be remembered that “an idle hand is the devil’s workshop”. According to him, “idleness can tempt some of these agile youths into criminal activities such as banditry, kidnapping, robbery, advanced fee fraud (419), internet scams (Yahoo-Yahoo) and even drug peddling”. Apart from that, such idleness can lead to hunger (an hungry man is an angry man), poverty, illicit drugs intakes and ultimately depression.
He also mentioned that there is no way a Nation with these kinds of challenges for the Youth can move forward because unemployment will definitely give birth to laziness, social media addiction, drugs/ alcohol addiction among other vices. He concluded by imploring the employment generating Agencies in the country such as NDE to continue partnering with FFOP/MURBINT in the areas of skill acquisition programmes for Youth in Oke Ogun Region of Oyo State and even beyond.
2.0 PRESENTATIONS
2.1 The first paper presentation was made by the Director General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo (FCE, FITD, FANPA) on “SUDDEN WEALTH SYNDROME AND THE FUTURE OF NIGERIAN YOUTH” where he remarkably mentioned that Iseyin area of Oyo State occupies a consequential section in the history of NDE’s progress towards not only creating jobs for unemployed Nigerians but also Iseyin was part of the locations where the capacity of the Directorate was built in strategising for employment, intensive-based method for rehabilitation of public infrastructure under the ILO/NDE Labour-Based Method of Construction, Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Infrastructure.
He also thanked the President/Founder of Forum for Oke Ogun Progress (FFOP) for finding him worthy of award of recognition for the achievements made by NDE under his able leadership.
He particularly commented with the fact that sudden wealth syndrome or get-rich-quick syndrome is gradually Nigerians especially the Youths as their quests for riches and flamboyant lifestyles have prompted them into various crimes such as drug peddling, kidnapping for ransom and killings of individuals. He mentioned further that it is mind-burgling that it is the youths that are mainly involved in these heinous crimes.
2.2 The Chairman/ CEO (NDLEA) in his presentation on “THE BURDEN OF DRUG ABUSE AMONG NIGERIAN YOUTHS: CAUSES AND REMEDIES” stated that since time immemorial there have been different kinds of extracts from leaves and roots, used for medicinal and recreational purposes. “That was the beginning of drug use and abuse”, he mentioned.
He however stated that “Nigeria has for some decades become a transit country through which illicit drugs are trafficked from sources countries to the consuming countries in North America and Western Europe”.
He added that there are different ways by which people especially, youths in Nigeria engage in hard-to-classify, non-conventional, Psychoactive Drugs/ mixtures such as:
● Lipton soaked in spirit
● Dry pawpaw leaves soaked in 10-day urine
● Hypo in Lacasera
● Methylated spirit mixed with coke
● Akusksura, a mixture of tobacco, cannabis and other narcotic substances.
● Monkey tail and Skuchies.
Specifically, he stated that the burden of abuse of drugs is shared by everyone―the family, the society and ultimately, the country. The following are the burdens of drug of abuse mentioned by the NDLEA Boss. They include:
▪ Mental health problem: such as psychosis and in some instance serious mental issue.
▪ Social problems: such as engaging in antisocial behaviours, social misfits and consequently crimes.
▪ Low productivity and loss of GDP: Such as low productivity, Lesser concentration and minimal/no contribution to national output.
▪ Poor education and other cognitive activities: Dropping out of school due to the abusive intakes of psychoactive substances such as cannabis.
Grig. Gen. Muhammed Buba Marwa (RTD), CON, OFR equally added that having known the consequences, the next is to know the root causes of drug abuse such as:
▪ Availability of illicit substances:
▪ Peer pressure
▪ Health issues
▪ Performance enhancement
▪ Personality disorder, low self-esteem and trauma
▪ quick-wealth syndrome leading to drug peddling and consumption.
▪ Poor parenting and bad role models
3,0 DELIBERATIONS/ SUGGESTED REMEDIES
The participants have the following take aways at the end of the second edition of the FFOP Education Summit:
3.1 Sudden Wealth Syndrome among Nigerian Youth
The curriculum of our educational system should be strengthened at all levels so as to meet the current realities of our economy.
Over reliance on paper qualifications to secure non-existent wage employment or blue collar jobs should be deemphasized in our society.
The Youths should be encouraged to embrace entrepreneurial, technical and vocational skills so as to be self-reliant, earn income and contribute positively to family, society and the nation at large.
Parents should give their children good training in order to redirect their minds from sudden wealth syndrome.
Parents/ Guardians need to constantly screen the kinds of companies that their wards follow as bad companies corrupt good manners.
Stakeholders such as Non-Governmental organizations, Community or Faith-Based Organizations and Governments at all levels need to synergize or collaborate towards providing the Youths with necessary resources needed to run legitimate businesses for self-actualization.
Our religious leaders/institutions have essential roles to play in educating, sensitizing and enlightening the Youths on disastrous consequences of getting rich overnight.
3.2 Burden of Drug Abuse among Nigerian Youth
A Complete Re-orientation of the younger generation: Some youths have got role models influencing youth behaviours though their arts and lifestyles, thereby being easily led into the dark world of drugs. Therefore, this society needs a holistic and all-round effort to stamp out this scourge through the Whole-of -Society approach, implying that everybody and every element of society should be involved in this task. This was also why NDLEA launched the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy.
The Agency is proposing to make available easy-to-use drug testing kit that families can afford and use for early detection of drug abuse in their wards.
Another panacea is the treatment and rehabilitation of youths with destructive habits, which are affordable. The Agency has also created a safe alternative, the toll-free drug abuse call centre (0800 1020 3040) that protects callers’ anonymity, social discrimination and stigma.
The Agency is equally partnering with the Federal Ministry of Education to integrate drug use and abuse problems into relevant subjects in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.
Good parenting provides a home environment that will discourage the use of habit-forming substances.
Endorsed this day, Monday 2nd January, 2023 at Oba Wuraola Adeyeri Hall, Aseyin Palace, Iseyin, Oyo State, Nigeria by members of the Rapporteur Committee of the Forum.
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Mr. Saheed Adekunle Imran (FCA, FIMC)
The Founder/ President (FFOP)
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Mr. Taofeek Adedeji (General Secretary)
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Mr. Davies Babalola (Media Relations Officer)