Nigeria and Ghana Governments Roll Out Youth Drug Abuse Prevention Programs

In Kwara State, Nigeria, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and NDLEA Commander Hajia Fatima Popoola urged religious leaders, parents and communities to help combat drug trafficking and substance abuse. The appeal was made during the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking ceremony in Ilorin, with calls for sermons against drugs, compulsory drug screening for new university students and job applicants, and increased community‑based parenting.

In Ghana, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, speaking on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama at the same commemorative event, highlighted the government’s focus on creating educational, skills‑development and employment opportunities for young people as a means of preventing drug abuse. He emphasized a holistic approach that includes law‑enforcement, treatment, rehabilitation and public‑health interventions, urging all Ghanaians to work together to safeguard the nation’s future.

Both countries used the World Drug Day platform to stress that drug abuse is a public‑health, social and developmental challenge and called for sustained collaboration among religious, civic and governmental stakeholders.