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Nigerian Entertainment Today (Netng) has partnered with Nigeria’s leading telecom company, MTN Nigeria, to lead advocacy for a drug-free society as part of activities for MTN Foundation’s annual Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (MTN ASAP).
This year, Netng and MTN ASAP are collaborating for the third consecutive year to lead conversations to prevent drug and substance abuse among young people.
Launched in December 2018, MTN ASAP is a multi-stakeholder intervention aimed at increasing awareness of substance abuse and addiction among young people and discouraging first-time users from taking the first step to possible addiction. MTN ASAP achieves this through a series of activities commemorating the annual International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (World Drug Day), which holds every June 26.
This year’s campaign themed – ‘It’s Everyone’s Fight’, comes with a more expansive lineup of activities, including a secondary school quiz competition, an advocacy walk, training for school teachers and volunteers (in partnership with the Ministry of Education), and a national conference scheduled to hold in Abuja, Nigeria, on Monday, June 27, 2022.
‘’One might wonder what a telecommunications firm has to do with anti-substance abuse. It is really about the numbers. About 14.1 million Nigerian youths have at some point been under the influence of drugs. As we know, Nigeria is the youngest country in Africa by demography we have a budding youthful population. If we are to continue to birth our dreams as a nation we need to focus on the youth, which is why we are invested in this campaign to dissuade young Nigerians from substance abuse,” Odunayo Sanya, Executive Secretary of MTN Foundation said during the first stage of the MTN ASAP quiz competition.
In 2021, when many young people jumped on the ‘Peru’ TikTok challenge, what many didn’t know is that a line in the lyrics promoted drug use, “Mi okin fa’gbo but I’m on molly,” which literally means “I don’t smoke, but I’m on molly.”
When Grammy winner Burna Boy also released his new single ‘Last Last’ in May, the chorus of the song ‘I need Igbo and shayo’ (I need cannabis and alcohol), which appears to promote drug abuse, also became an anthem among young people.
With the proliferation of the media and internet space with songs and content from celebrities and public figures that celebrate and promote drug use, it has become increasingly important for organisations, including individuals, to lend their voice to discouraging the abuse of drugs in Nigeria.
Netng will leverage its position as the world’s number one source for African entertainment, with over 90% of its audience who are Nigerians below 4o years old, to create awareness of the dangers of substance abuse.
“Many young Nigerians model after celebrities, and with the proliferation of hip hop music that glorifies substance use, it is important that we use our platform to advocate for a drug-free world. The media has a huge role to play in driving awareness and amplifying this message, and we are excited to be a part of this journey again,” says Michael Orodare, Editorial Lead at ID Africa, owners of Netng, Neusroom, 234Star, and Orin.
The first stage of the MTN ASAP virtual quiz competition in collaboration with the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for schools in Abuja, Delta, Gombe, Imo, Kano, Kwara, and Lagos, held on Tuesday, June 7.
The final stage where a winner will emerge will hold on Tuesday, June 14.
Through the unplugged training for teachers in 30 schools and selected volunteers, MTN ASAP will also better educate and equip more individuals to provide counselling support to substance users and their families. The advocacy walk would also be a channel to drive more awareness of the menace of substance abuse in the country. To wrap up this year’s activities, a National Conference will hold on Monday, June 27, 2022, to commemorate World Drug Day.
Other organisations partnering with MTN ASAP for this event include Business Day newspaper, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The post ASAP 2022: Netng Partners MTN to Lead Advocacy for Drug-Free Society appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
Source: TheNet
