In its avowed bid to check substance abuse and the use of illicit materials among personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Defence Headquarters will on Monday (February 28), at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry in Jaji, Kaduna State, flag off a three day sensitization programme for newly recruited members of the Nigerian Army.
The essence of the programme, which begins with about 250 newly recruited personnel, is to reduce the rate of substance abuse and its attendant disorders among officers and service personnel. The aim is ensure healthy, emotional and psychological health as well as the general well being of members of the country’s armed forces.
The Office of the Chief of Defence Staff (OCDS) is executing the project in partnership with the Baba-Rabi Foundation (BARAF) and the African Council on Narcotics (ACON), both of which are providing technical expertise for the exercise.
The objective of the exercise is to promote activities that would enhance healthy, drug-free lifestyles and high-level professional performance among the officers and men of the Nigerian armed forces, including the army, navy and air force.
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It is to improve the psychological stability and alertness of officers and personnel and provide a forum for discussion of the problem of drug use/abuse associated challenges associated, among members of the armed forces.
Also, it is to address problems associated with substance abuse and attendant consequences on the psych, performance and families of officers and men; provide opportunity for counselling and therapy prescriptions, as well as assure participants of their welfare support, general well-being and emotional stability.
The keynote address at the opening of the workshop is expected to be delivered by the Chief of Defence Staff. The Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) will be delivering papers on “Substance abuse, types, effects and prevention methods,” and “Facts about substance use/abuse and military Life.”
The President of the African Council on Narcotics, Mr. Rekpene Bassey is scheduled to give an overview of ‘substance abuse in Nigeria and the risk associated with substance abuse in the military’ while psychiatrists and clinical Psychologists are expected to present papers in their respective areas of expertise.
Other organizations expected as part of the exercise include Community Intervention Network on Drugs (CIND), the United Nations Office on Drug Control (NODC) and the Federal Ministry of Health, which will mount an awareness campaign on the effect of drug abuse and use of illicit substances.
