ASAP ADVOCACY WALK: A Day To Stand Against Substance Abuse In Nigeria

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:00 AM 25th, Jun 2022

Promoting, building, and maintaining a drug-free nation is the central goal of the MTN Anti-Substance Abuse Program (ASAP). It has also formed part of MTN’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

At a time the world can already be quite confusing for some young adults, drugs create even more confusion. When misguided or misinformed, they act on misinformation without being able to weigh the gravity of their actions. This is why the MTN Foundation has continually partnered with the NDLEA and UNODC to create awareness of this by organizing several activities annually to create a deliberate message on the dangers of substance abuse.

Today, June 25th 2022, we embarked on an advocacy walk to send a message that drug abuse kills! We started off at the Old Parade Ground, Area 10 in Abuja with a large crowd that included Odunayo Sanya (Executive Secretary MTN Foundation), Dennis Okoro (MTN Foundation Director), Mrs Folusho Ajayi Adelekan (National Programme Officer of UNODC), Haruna Lukman (NDLEA Agency Secretary), Chinyere Kalu Olugu (Deputy Director, Drug Demand Reduction Directorate), and ended up at Millenium Park.

Speaking at the event, MTN Foundation Executive Secretary, Odunayo Sanya said: “Most important is the lesson we take from here. I’d like to say thank you to our partners – NDLEA and the UNODC. MTN Foundation is the CSR arm of MTN and is funded by 1% of MTN’s profits after tax. And MTN has remained true to that commitment for more than 17 years.”

She also encouraged people to continue the conversation. “The ASAP walk is an event, but the conversation continues. We’d like each one of us to take this conversation to our communities, families, and states (for those not residents in Abuja). Let’s push the narrative and save our youths from the menace of drug abuse.”

Speaking on continuing the conversation, we would be hosting the national stakeholders’ conference on drug abuse. This conference is to enable the engagement of key stakeholders in the drug space to deliberate on strategy, policy and issues around substance abuse, towards proffering solutions to emerging issues relating to substance abuse. The Stakeholders’ Conference will be at Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja on the 27th of June and will be streamed live on our YouTube channel.

Missed out on the walk, see the gallery for pictures from the event.

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