MTN Foundation has described substance abuse among young Nigerians as a growing national threat that requires sustained collaboration from government, private organizations, communities and families.
In a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday, the foundation’s Executive Director, Odunayo Sanya, said the rising rate of drug abuse among youths threatened Nigeria’s future workforce, leadership and economic prosperity.
Sanya said the country must move beyond emotional reactions and embrace structured, sustainable and data-driven interventions.
According to her, every statistic on substance abuse represents a life disrupted, a family affected and untapped potential lost.
“True change requires us to transition from passive observers to active architects of sustainable interventions,” she said.
Sanya cited the 2018 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Drug Use in Nigeria Survey as a major reference for understanding the country’s drug challenge.
She said the survey revealed that about 14.3 million Nigerians aged between 15 years and 64 years had used psychoactive substances.
She added that one in every four drug users was a woman, while the highest prevalence occurred among young people.
According to her, although the survey remains valuable, Nigeria urgently requires updated national data to strengthen prevention and intervention strategies.
She said the MTN Foundation established the Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP) in 2019 after recognizing the limitations of criminalizing drug abuse without addressing its root causes.
“Curiosity, peer pressure, inadequate information and socio-economic challenges continue to drive first-time substance abuse among many young Nigerians.
“ASAP as a multi-sectorial behavior change initiative is designed to reduce first-time substance abuse through education, awareness and strategic partnerships.
“Synthetic drugs, prescription medicine abuse and technology-driven cyber narcotics had changed the dynamics of illicit drug trafficking globally, “she said.
Sanya cited figures from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to underscore the growing challenge.
She said the NDLEA seized more than 5.3 million kilograms of illicit drugs valued at about N1.5 trillion between January 2025 and May 2026.
She added that the agency also recorded 29,262 arrests during the period.
Sanya recalled the recent dismantling of a methamphetamine manufacturing ring in Ogun as evidence that the threat remained active across Nigeria.
“The scourge is no longer a distant tale. It resides with us. So, we must rise together as stakeholders in this war against substance abuse.
“The success of ASAP demonstrated the importance of strong public-private sector partnerships.
“The initiative works with the NDLEA, UNODC, the Federal Ministries of Education and Health, alongside civil society organizations.
“The programme had taken advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, motor parks and digital platforms nationwide,” she said.
Sanya said the initiative was helping communities replace stigma with constructive conversations on addiction and recovery.
She added that stakeholder conferences held in Enugu, Kaduna, Kwara and Abuja strengthened nationwide advocacy efforts.
According to her, advocacy walks across tertiary institutions in Gombe, Delta, Abuja and Lagos states also attracted strong support from students, parents and associations.
She said the programme had directly reached more than 50,433 students and 1,556 teachers in public secondary schools across 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The MTN Foundation executive director said the interventions included peer education, digital campaigns, capacity building and community engagement.
“When you give a young person the right tools, accurate information and a sense of purpose, they will choose a path of productivity over self-destruction,” she said. (NAN).
