— As Zuma Deck holds campaign against drug abuse, child homelessness

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja

The Zuma Deck, Abuja of the National Association of Seadogs, NAS, also known as Pyrates Confraternity, on Saturday held a sensitization campaign against drug abuse and child homelessness.

The campaign which included street walk within the Kubwa area, an outskirt of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, was part of the association’s nationwide and global sensitization on the danger of drug and substance abuse in the society.

The event, tagged The NAS Street Child Project, was part of a simultaneous advocacy action carried out across Nigeria and in NAS chapters abroad, underscoring the group’s global solidarity in the fight against social vices threatening young people.

Speaking during the march, the 2nd Mate and Programme Director of NAS Zuma Deck, Dr. Patrick Uju, explained that the campaign was aimed at highlighting the dangers of substance abuse, which he said has reached “epidemic levels” in Nigeria.

According to him: “The rate of drug and substance use in this country has gotten to an epidemic level. You may not know it until you go down to the grassroots, the slums, and the hidden corners of the city. Even the rich are involved.”

He noted that homelessness often worsens the problem, exposing children and young people to drug use, violence, and other social vices.

Dr. Unu, who is a medical doctor, warned that substance abuse has devastating health consequences, including kidney and liver damage as well as the destruction of mental capacity, which can turn victims into “liabilities to society.”

He called on Nigerians to support the advocacy, stressing that NAS cannot fight the battle alone.

“Whenever you see something going wrong, you must speak. Whenever there is a need to lend a helping hand to anybody who has been a victim of this, you must offer that helping hand,” he said.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Advocacy Committee, NAS Zuma Deck, Barrister Charles Ndukwe described the campaign as part of the association’s fStreet Child Project, that seeks to reduce the number of children living on the streets and prevent their exposure to drugs.

“Drugs have destroyed children’s dreams, stopped them from achieving their ambitions, and contributed to increased crime rates and mental illness in society. We need to go back to the drawing board and start afresh to take drugs off our streets,” Charles said.

He said the campaign was not a one-off effort but an annual activity of NAS that involves radio engagements and outreach to schools already adopted by the association for mentorship and support.

“It is an annual campaign, and it is very dear to us because of the impact we desire to achieve,” he added.

A well-wisher at the event, Engineer Nancy Onuoha, said she joined the walk to show solidarity with NAS and its campaign, which she described as timely.

“Drug abuse is a societal disease that has eaten deep. I have interacted with youths whose lives and health have been destroyed by drugs. It has broken homes and rendered many promising young people useless. If we don’t do anything about it, the future will be at risk,” she said.