Photo: Cardinal John Onaiyekan
The Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COFP) says it has trained and empowered no fewer than 100 drug addicts on various skills within four years.
The Executive Director of the foundation, Rev. Sister Agatha Chikelue, disclosed this at graduation/presentation of empowerment tools to the latest beneficiaries on Saturday in Abuja.
Chilelue explained that the programme which started in 2018 is called: Young People Living Above Drugs Addiction and Substance Abuse (YOLDA).
“We realised that 85 per cent to 90 per cent of them go back into drugs abuse due to economic hardships.
“Some had encountered disappointment, others their family cannot afford their needs and they cannot help themselves.
“So, we enrolled them in some skills acquisitions of their choice and at the end we empower them.
“It is actually a year programme. We have been doing it every year, since its inception,” Chikelue added.
She said the programme was designed and initiated by the foundation to help the young people come out from drug abuse and reckless living.
According to her, between 2018 and 2019 the foundation trained about 40 people, and the second set was about 45 people.
She said, “This year has been the lowest, because last year we couldn’t continue due to some issues we experienced.
“When we came back, we realised that many of them had gone back to the act. Then, we went back to them and continued from where we stopped.
“Today we are graduating 23 people. So, over 100 people have been trained, graduated and equiped in the last four years.”
She noted that the foundation was aware of the effects of drug abuse on the society.
“Aside the fact that drug abuse increases crime rate in the society, it has also damaged the lives of those who indulge in it.
“Several persons who are into criminality act under the influence of one drug or the other.
“So, having understanding of the negative impact of drug abuse, the foundation decided to partner the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to help these young people come out of the situation,” she said.
Chikelue also explained that the foundation designed the programme into three phases, adding that the first phase was counselling section.
“The second phase is the period when the foundation works closely with the people one-on-one, educating them on tips that can help them to desist from the addiction.
“It is the period we educate them on the dangers of drug abuse, we encourage them and let them know that they can get out of it.
“This phase used to last for a long period of six months, we give them instances of people that have been freed from the act and tell them that their lives can also be restored,” she said.
The executive director disclosed that the third phase was the period the foundation involved medical experts, who would counsel and run series of medical tests and screenings to drug addicts.
According to her, the experts test the people on Herpetitis B, Herpetitis C, HIV/AIDS, liver/kidney problem to ensure that health wise they are sound.
She explained that the medical experts also commenced treatment on those who needed to be treated or any other medical attention as well as educated them on the dangers of drug abuse after treating them.
She encouraged the graduates to be focused, adding that some of those that had graduated years past were doing well.
Mr Peter Njoku, from the Department of Drug Demand Redirection Directorate, NDLEA, said that the agency was partnering the foundation to ensure that its objectives and mandates were achieved.
Njoku urged the graduants not to go back to the act as well as ensuring that they made good use of the equipment offered to them by the foundation.
Rev. Fr. Boniface Nebo, also a fellow of the foundation in his goodwill message, advised the graduants to be more vigilant and “say no to drug abuse.”
Similarly, Dr Francisca Eneh, also a Fellow of the foundation, congratulated the graduants saying that it was never late for them to achieve whatever skills they had equiped themselves on.
Eneh advised them to make good use of their talents and gifts God had bestowed in their lives.
Mr Dickson Eneje, one of the graduants, who spoke on behalf of others, thanked the foundation, the NDLEA and others who supported the programme by ensuring that their lives were restored.
The foundation trained the graduants in tailoring, hair dressing, catering, make-up and costmetics, among others.
The graduands were empowered with tailoring machines, dryers, hair extensions, generators, oven as well as cooking gas, among others.
