Delta Expands Drug-Free Campaign to Tertiary Institutions

By Admin 

The Delta State Government has commenced the second phase of its Drug-Free Delta campaign, extending the initiative to universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions across the state.

The campaign is aimed at raising awareness among young people about the dangers of drug abuse, promoting early intervention and encouraging responsible decision-making among students.

The Director-General, Delta State Bureau for Orientation and Communications, Dr. Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, disclosed this during a press conference in Asaba.

Oghenesivbe said the first phase of the campaign covered about 38 secondary schools across the three senatorial districts of the state, describing the outcome as encouraging.

According to him, some of the participating schools had established water clubs to sustain drug-prevention awareness among students.

He said the expansion of the campaign became necessary in view of the growing challenge of drug abuse in the country.

Oghenesivbe cited the 2025 annual report of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), which recorded 19,944 arrests and 3,655 convictions for drug-related offences nationwide.

The report also recorded major seizures of illicit drugs and the destruction of 640.59 hectares of cannabis farms.

The Director-General, however, stressed that arrest and seizure figures were enforcement indicators and should not be interpreted as representing the actual number of drug users in Nigeria.

He said the NDLEA conducted 4,496 drug-abuse sensitisation programmes in 2025 across educational institutions, workplaces and worship centres.

“School-based programmes reportedly reached 815,559 students, while 663 programmes outside the school environment reached 337,960 young people,” he said.

Oghenesivbe said the figures demonstrated the need to strengthen prevention and public enlightenment as key components of drug control.

He also expressed concern over the increasing involvement of young women in drug abuse, urging the media to pay greater attention to the trend.

He said the issue should be addressed beyond law enforcement, describing drug abuse as a public-health, family and social-development concern.

Oghenesivbe urged persons struggling with substance abuse to seek professional help without fear of stigma, while calling for sustained enforcement against illicit drug trafficking.

He also urged parents and guardians to take greater responsibility for preventing substance abuse among young people.

“Government cannot replace the family,” he said, emphasising the importance of communication, supervision, discipline, affection and sound moral values in the upbringing of children.

He advised parents to understand their children’s social environment and create homes where young people could discuss difficult issues without fear.

The Director-General called on civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, traditional rulers, community leaders, local government authorities, educational managers and youth organisations to support the campaign.

He also urged schools, churches, mosques and community associations to organise practical activities capable of reinforcing drug-prevention messages.

“Let us educate rather than demonise, inform rather than sensationalise, and help families and young people understand where they can obtain help,” he said.

Oghenesivbe commended the NDLEA Delta State Command and its personnel for their contribution to the fight against drug abuse.

He also acknowledged the support of the Delta Government and the Asagba of Asaba through the Asaba Development Council and its communication committee.

He said the ultimate goal of the campaign was to raise a generation of young people who are healthy, responsible, productive, informed and equipped to make positive choices.

NDLEA Backs Campaign

Speaking separately at the briefing, the Delta State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Commander Halilu Hamidu, described the decision to focus the second phase of the campaign on tertiary institutions as timely.

He noted that universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other higher institutions were spaces where young people made choices that could shape the rest of their lives.

“Drug abuse can damage that future very quickly by affecting academic performance, relationships, mental well-being and family life and, in some cases, leading young people into criminal activities,” he said.

Hamidu said the NDLEA Delta State Command was fully prepared to support the campaign, adding that the command’s responsibility went beyond the arrest of suspects and seizure of illicit drugs.

According to him, the command also had a duty to prevent drug use before it took hold, provide accurate information, counsel those who needed help and work with institutions to create an environment where students could make better choices.

“Our prevention work is backed by sustained enforcement,” he said.

Hamidu expressed appreciation to the Delta State Government for the ongoing construction of rehabilitation centres in Kwale and Agbor.

He also appreciated traditional rulers, particularly the Asagba of Asaba, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, the Dein of Agbor and other royal fathers, for their unwavering support for the NDLEA and the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking in their kingdoms.

He noted that the Asagba of Asaba was instrumental in facilitating the provision of the Asaba rehabilitation facility, which, he said, would soon become functional.