Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has appealed to African youths to avoid drug abuse, describing it as a destructive habit that can cut lives short.
Speaking at the second edition of the Fly Above The High sensitisation programme on drug abuse, organised by the Recovery Advocacy Network at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Obasanjo highlighted the growing menace of drug consumption across sub-Saharan Africa.
“Against the notion that Africa was only being used as a transit hub for drugs coming from Latin America, the consumption of drugs in Africa has become an issue, growing worse over the last decade,” Obasanjo stated on Saturday.
The former president urged those grappling with addiction not to conceal their struggles but to seek help to escape the catastrophic consequences of drug abuse, including untimely death.
Obasanjo recounted his experience as Chairman of the West African Drug Commission, an initiative under the Kofi Annan Foundation, where their findings revealed a distressing reality:
“We went round West Africa believing we were free from drugs that mainly come from Latin America to North America and Europe.
“But to our dismay and pain, we found out that West Africa had become a centre for drug consumption in a very bad way.
“That was more than 10 years ago, and the situation has since worsened. What applies to West Africa applies to all other parts of Africa,” he said.
Sharing a personal story, Obasanjo described the tragic loss of a cousin who succumbed to a drug-related death despite multiple rehabilitation efforts.
“Addiction is a form of disease. Some diseases cannot be cured but can be managed. People with addiction should not hide it; they should seek help before it’s too late,” he advised.
The former president urged society to support those battling addiction, saying, “A word of prayer for them can prove to be a turning point.”