Foundation partners EU, British Council to fight against drug abuse in Lagos schools

Concerned about the menace of alcohol misuse and drug dependence in Nigeria, Freedom Foundation, in partnership with European Union-funded Agents for Citizen-Driven Transformation (EU-ACT), British Council and others, have begun a state-wide advocacy and peer educators’ training with the aim to mitigate early introduction to drugs and alcohol in schools across Lagos State.

Freedom Foundation Communications Manager, Emmanuel Etim, disclosed that over 3,000 students in Agege and Eti-Osa local councils in Lagos State had benefitted from the project.

He added: “The campaign started in 2021.
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The Foundation also hosted an outreach that brought together residents, teachers, community leaders, market leaders, trade union leaders, youth leaders, among others, to discuss the menace of substance use in Lagos, its effects on adolescents and youths; and the need to form a coalition to educate in-school and out-of-school-aged youths on the prevention.

Project Co-ordinator, Freedom Foundation, Oluwafemi Sanya, said: “The project has provided awareness, advocacy, information and resource dissemination to in-school aged youths, aged 10 to19, on substance abuse …”

Sanya said the Foundation ran a drug rehabilitation programme, House of Refuge and Operation Better Life, that “caters for the treatment and rehabilitation of persons dealing with substance abuse.”

He said the Freedom Foundation, is a non-profit organisation, committed to social reformation through individual and community transformation.
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