Lagos declares war on drug abuse, suicide among youths — Ogunlende

By Ebunoluwa Sessou

The Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Mobolaji Ogunlende, has reaffirmed the State Government’s committedness to tackling the duplicate crises of cause maltreatment and termination among young people, describing them arsenic “urgent nationalist wellness and motivation challenges that request corporate action.”

Delivering a code done the Lagos State Youth Ambassador, Obadare Adenekan, Ogunlende extended lukewarm greetings to participants astatine the Vanguard Mental Health Summit 3.0, commending Vanguard Newspapers for sustaining the forum which helium said has go a starring dependable successful advancing intelligence wellness consciousness crossed Nigeria.

“In a satellite that often shys distant from uncomfortable conversations, Vanguard’s consistency successful advancing intelligence wellness consciousness is simply a profound enactment of courageousness and compassion,” helium said.

Speaking connected the taxable of the summit, “Taming the Rising Tide of Suicide successful Nigeria,” the Commissioner described termination arsenic a increasing nationalist emergency, citing the World Health Organization’s estimation that Nigeria records implicit 16,000 termination deaths annually, with astir victims betwixt ages 15 and 29.

“Behind those numbers are existent faces sons, daughters, friends, classmates whose soundless battles went unseen, whose cries for assistance were drowned successful stigma, silence, oregon shame,” helium noted.

Ogunlende stressed that intelligence wellness is not a privilege but a right, urging a displacement successful nationalist cognition to dainty termination and cause maltreatment arsenic issues of attraction and compassion, not punishment oregon shame.

“In our communities, we spot a troubling pattern; 1 wherever cause abuse, intelligence distress, and termination signifier a vicious triangle. For galore young people, substance usage begins arsenic a impermanent flight from unemployment, pressure, oregon hopelessness, but that flight often becomes a trap,” helium said.

According to him, nether the enactment of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State has adopted a holistic, people-centered effect done a multi-layered strategy built astir prevention, treatment, and empowerment.

He highlighted the flagship programme, Lagos State Kick Against Drug Abuse, LASKADA, arsenic a large involution designed to combat substance maltreatment crossed the State.

“Through LASKADA, the ministry has conducted statewide sensitization successful schools, markets, and communities and partnered with younker groups, faith-based organizations, and NGOs to make harmless spaces for unfastened conversations. And engaged rehabilitation centers and intelligence wellness experts for betterment and reintegration.

“The doctrine down LASKADA is elemental but powerful: to regenerate addiction with ambition, and despair with direction,” Ogunlende stated.

Further, helium explained that the Ministry collaborates intimately with the Ministry of Health, the Lagos State Drug Control Committee, and intelligence wellness professionals to integrate cause maltreatment power into broader intelligence wellness policy.

“Policies unsocial cannot heal a wounded heart. Data cannot comfortableness a grieving family. Enforcement without empathy tin lone spell truthful far,” helium said.

Ogunlende emphasised that empathy indispensable pb the combat against intelligence wellness challenges, adding that Lagos State is grooming societal workers, counselors, and younker officers to respond with compassion alternatively than punishment.

“Empathy is not weakness; it is spot successful its astir healing form,” helium said.

Ogunlende warned against the civilization of soundlessness that surrounds addiction and suicide, stressing that unfastened dialog is cardinal to dismantling stigma.

“We indispensable interruption that soundlessness successful our homes, schools, and places of worship. By normalizing conversations astir intelligence health, we instrumentality distant the shame and bring healing closer,” helium added.

Ogunlende reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s committedness to creating an inclusive situation wherever nary young idiosyncratic is mislaid to drugs, to silence, oregon to suicide.

“When we empower the youth, we bash not conscionable unafraid the future, we support the present. Together, we tin marque Lagos not conscionable the Centre of Excellence, but the Centre of Empathy and Empowerment,” helium said.

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