It was an afternoon that went well. The sales activation on that campus around Apata, Ibadan was off to a great start. We had a dance competition and talent hunt and the response was massive. Students trooped out to watch the very engaging displays.
I took the mic to address them and announced the winners and suddenly, this guy came up to me. I saw his very menacing look and I braced myself. He shouted at me to give him money. The moment he opened his mouth, I knew he was high on drugs. His tongue was blue. I ignored him but he followed me right to my car. We zoomed off.
Later that day, I learnt he became very aggressive and jumped on a moving vehicle carrying my team. He scratched the vehicle with a stone- making all sorts of markings on the vehicle. I wanted to take the matter up but the Students Union Government of the campus intervened and pleaded. Turned out the guy was expelled for substance abuse.
Sometimes back, I was at a seminar for young people where I spoke to them about the dangers of substance abuse. As I went round the hall, someone squeezed a tiny paper into my hand. I looked at the paper and it was a cry for help. The young man who sent that paper attends a private university but is hooked on drugs. He wrote that it was his room mate that introduced him to the habit. His parents didn’t even know and he follows them to church regularly.
Last night, Colorado trended on Twitter. I followed the trend and I came off depressed. This new drug messes up the minds of those who take it. I saw videos of people who became disoriented moments after taking the drug. Some were screaming, others were convulsing or shaking as if possessed by an external force. They kept slapping a guy in one of the videos while another guy kept drinking water. One particular girl’s case was pathetic as she rolled on the floor. I’m sorry but I can’t share any of the videos. They are painful to watch.
Someone told me yesterday about a guy who took one of those drugs and lapsed into coma for 3 days. When he didn’t wake up, he was buried. A lot of the guys who ride okada sniff gum- a cheap drug that makes them drive recklessly. People have died cheaply because of okada drivers who sniffed glue before a ride.
Everywhere you turn to, you see young men and women looking for a high. Visit an average lounge and observe how drugs are passed around. Some clutch bottles of soda everywhere they go. Don’t be deceived- the soda is laced with a drug.
I had to check out of a hotel sometimes last year because a guy was smoking weed next to my room. When I complained, the Manager said they had been warning the guy since the day before. There are no reliable statistics but I’ve seen as many ladies as guys who are involved in the habit.
We really have a very big problem with substance abuse and we are playing the ostrich. Ten years down the line, we would have come full circle with junkies everywhere and crime skyrocketing if we don’t start to tackle it now. We need more rehabilitation centres and government has to commit more resources to enlightening its citizens on the danger of substance abuse. NDLEA has to be more proactive than reactive and change its strategy for combating the menace. Religious centres have to get involved. Parents have to educate their children.
We can’t fold our hands again. I’m really afraid for the future.
