The MTN Foundation has launched the training of teachers in Kaduna State to combat drug abuse among students in primary and tertiary institutions, under the Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP).

Specifically, the Foundation gathered stakeholders from the education sector in the state, including principals and head teachers from various local government areas, for the training session, which commenced on Monday.

The representative of the MTN Foundation Director General, Abubakar Zubairu, in an opening address, stated that “we have witnessed the emergence of psychoactive substances in large quantities across our markets, most of which are purchased and consumed predominantly by our youth.”

He said, “At MTN Foundation, we have not only refused to turn a blind eye but have also made it a priority to reduce the rate of first-time substance abuse among Nigerian youth”—pointing out that “since we launched our Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP) in 2019, we have educated millions of people on the dangers of drug abuse across the country through targeted campaigns and interventions in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).”

Zubairu, who is also the MTN Foundation Service Centre Manager, explained, “We’ve also engaged youth in awareness competitions, conducted advocacy walks across states, facilitated teacher training, sensitised communities in collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and held stakeholder conferences, such as this one”.

Saying that “this year, we joined the rest of the world to commemorate International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking with the theme: ‘It’s Everyone’s Fight’, he noted that “the severity of the situation warrants declaring it a national emergency, and it is our responsibility to mitigate this, whether through policy updates, strategic partnerships, or preventive measures.”

He said, “That is why we’re here – to facilitate a wider and more impactful discourse among stakeholders across key sectors and industries. With your partnership, we can educate and disseminate the correct information about substance abuse and integrate it into the educational curriculum to help model behavioural values in our society.”

“With your partnership, we can ensure the reinforcement of barriers against inappropriate access to substances.

Together, we can invest in the future of our youth through this all-important mission,” he added.

Besides, he pointed out that “under the 2025 ASAP campaign activities, our advocacy walks across tertiary institutions in Abuja, Enugu, Lagos, and Kano, bringing together over 1,400 stakeholders for the fight against substance abuse. Our stakeholders convening in Lagos and Abuja further strengthened our multi-sectoral partnerships in the fight against substance abuse.”

Zubairu further stressed, “another achievement is the partnership secured with the NDLEA on the 24/7 psycho-social support helpline – 08010203040 – project aimed at connecting Nigerians to professional psychologists for free counselling support services in various Nigerian languages.”

He added, “We aim to educate 86,400 public secondary school students and 1,440 teachers, respectively, across 12 states on the impact of substance abuse—encourage them to participate in our quiz competition; facilitate a stakeholders’ workshop and a 3-day training programme for 60 secondary school teachers in Kaduna and Kwara; and sensitise our communities through outreaches in collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).”

He commended ‘the Kaduna State Government, Kaduna State Bureau for Substance Abuse, Prevention and Treatment (KADBUSA), NDLEA, UNODC, and the media, who throw their weight behind this cause and have continuously made the ASAP programme a success.”

Zubairu explained, “What success means to us at MTN Foundation would be the post-training activities that the trained teachers will carry out through engagement and monitoring to ensure a sustained impact on the students, who we all expect to become advocates and ambassadors of this initiative.”

“The teachers’ training in Kaduna and Kwara states will undoubtedly pave the way for a digital framework to be developed, as scaling impact on this subject matter is crucial. We trust that all concerned stakeholders will support this noble cause.

Let us continue our fight against illicit drug use as we work towards a drug-free nation,” the MTN Foundation added.

Meanwhile, those delivering goodwill messages at the flag-off of the teachers’ training programme were representatives of KADBUSA, NDLEA, and UNODC.