Thirty selected secondary school teachers from across Kwara State were trained on drug abuse and prevention on Wednesday by trainers from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The trainees participated in a stakeholders’ workshop focused on the implementation of the “Unplugged Teachers Training” on drug prevention in Ilorin.
The two-day programme, which was officially opened on Tuesday by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, was organised jointly by the MTN Foundation, the state government, the UNODC, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The governor was represented by his senior adviser and counsellor, Alhaji Saadu Salahu.
At the technical session on Wednesday, resource persons from the UNODC taught the teachers various methodologies to employ in discouraging students from involving in drug abuse.
The UNODC representative and trainer, Maria Ilugbuhi, said the teachers received training on the 12 lessons of unplung, including building, decision making, and general social skills.
According to her, the ultimate goal of the training is to achieve a reduction in the use of drugs and substances by students.
Ilugbuhi said the teachers were taught how to help students get out of drug addiction and prevent others from indulging in its abuse.
“We want the students who have a problem of drug addiction to be in a position to approach their teachers for counselling,” she said.
Another UNODC trainer, Adebomi Adekunle, said that he taught the trainees how to prevent the use of drugs by students and get those already addicted out of the menace.
In their responses, three of the participants: Nuhu Kabiru Wada (Baptist Grammar School, Okuta), Adebayo Rashidat (Queen Elizabeth School) and Olanipekun Pius (Offa Grammar School) described the training as an eye-opener.
“The experience is unique because, as parents, we are also interested in having a drug-free society,” Wada said.
Rashidat said, “This training is very educational and an eye-opener. We as teachers and parents are now better equipped to prevent drug abuse amongst our students.”
“We have learned how to counsel students on the danger of drug abuse. This is a very important programme giving the contribution of drug abuse to some of the social and security challenges facing our society,” Pius said.
