Group seeks special vigilance against cultism, drug abuse

By Grace Alegba

Yoruba Youth Assembly (YYA), a socio-cultural group, has called for collaboration by the academia, the government and parents toward setting up a special vigilance group against drug abuse and cultism.

The YYA President, Mr Olarinde Thomas, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.

Thomas said that cultism and drug abuse were taking strong roots among young people and all hands must be on deck to reverse the ugly trend before it consumes the country.

He said that the causes of cultism among youths in all stages in schools include; peer pressure, poor upbringing, societal decadence, erosion of education standards as well as the quest for power and protection.

He said that parents, schools, religious organisations and non-governmental organisations should collaborate and constantly sponsor recreational activities that could redirect the energies of young people positively.

“Parents should create adequate time to nurture their children and guide them properly to adulthood to keep them away from cultism and drug abuse.

“Youth groups should positively use peer pressure to move their colleagues away from drug abuse and prevent new cases from occurring,’’ the group leader said.

He also called for increased awareness campaigns against cultism and limited access to sensitive drugs, stressing that the economy must be stimulated to provide jobs for the unemployed and underemployed.

According to him, the consequences of the self-destructive influence of drugs has an alarming proportion among youths.

“There should be effective communications. The time has come for the setting up of drug abuse vigilance groups for early detection and containment,” he said.

Thomas also urged all tiers of government to empower its relevant agencies to effectively monitor drug distribution system and block access to dangerous ones.

“Pharmaceutical industries should monitor its entire value chain and be extra vigilant to restrict sensitive drugs that are prone to abuse from getting to the public. We must do something now to stem the tide before it brings calamity on our society,” he said.

Thomas,however,said that YYA, representing 38 affiliates globally in its 28 years of existence, has awarded and inducted several awardees into the Yoruba Youth Hall of Fames.

He added that 26 recipients including Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, the Special Adviser to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Works and Infrastructure, received the 2020/2021 Yoruba Youth Leadership awards.

“We honoured those that had excelled in their different fields of endeavour and had contributed toward the advancements of humanity, youth empowerment as well as promote the Yoruba culture and heritage,” he said.