NDLEA tok wetin dem dey do about celebrities wey dey promote drug abuse wit dia platforms

Wen celebrities embrace some kind lifestyle, some pipo wey be dia fans see am as sometin wey dem fit embrace sake of say dia favourites dey do am. And in recent times, celebrities don cause di destruction of pipo wey dey follow dem blindly.

Sake of di influence wey celebrities get on dia fans, wetin dem dey do na normal tins for di sight of pipo wey no fit tink for diasef, and dis na why you go here “na normal levels” from pipo wey dey defend celebrities promoting di influence of drug abuse through music videos.

Recently, di National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), order clampdown on illegal sale and use of nitrous oxide aka laughing gas.

While dis action dey laudable, e dey important to note say celebrities dey part of di pipo wey dey promote am.

For Nigeria and elsewhere, if some music videos no promote nudity e go promote drug abuse. Dis trend na imported culture wey some Nigerian Afrobeats artistes don embrace and normalise.

Di question wey pipo dey ask be say, wetin NDLEA dey do about di celebrities wey dey promote drug abuse for dia music videos?

To answer dis question, di tok-tok pesin for di NDLEA Femi Babafemi tell BBC Pidgin say di agency dey try dia best to ensure say di culture of promoting drug abuse for music videos stop.

‘We dey use advocacy and law enforcement to fight drug abuse’

Babafemi tok say one of di instruments dem dey use fight drug abuse for music videos na advocacy.

E say dem dey reach out to some of dis celebrities to engage dem for conversation to let dem understand di effect and di consequences of di abuse of illegal substances on dem and dia followers wey see dem as role models and wey dey copy anytin wey dem dey do, especially di tins dem dey put online through dia various platforms.

According to di tok-tok pesin, dem also dey partner with professional bodies like di Actors Guild of Nigeria to fight drug abuse.

“We dey partner wit di Actors Guild of Nigeria, dia leadership dey supportive, dem dey cooperate wit di agency, and we dey make progress in di Nollywood sector,” di tok-tok pesin add.

Babafemi say dem dey engage wit di music artistes individually through different platforms.

According to Babafemi, dem dey also use law enforcement to fight drug abuse by ensuring say pipo wey dey abuse dis drug face di wrath of di law.

‘We dey put some celebrities on watchlist’

According to Babafemi, celebrities wey dey abuse drug through dia platforms dey on dia watchlist and if NDLEA catch dem with drugs, dem go face di music.

“E don happun before, we don arrest and prosecute some of dem in di past. One of dem dey convicted,” Babafemi tok.

You go remember say one Federal High Court for Lagos bin convict skit maker Joshua Sunday wey pipo sabi as De General for 2022 sake of unlawful possession of 14 grams of Tramadol.

Dem convict di skit maker alongside one Caleb Ojana Williams sake of unlawful possession of 15 grams of Cannabis Sativa popularly known as Marijuana.

According to di NDLEA , di two convicts for January 12 dey in possession of di banned substances witout lawful authority for No 2B Saula Akinlolu Orchid, Lekki, Lagos, southwest Nigeria.

Di NDLEA urge di court to sentence di two men afta dem plead guilty to di charge wey dem sama dem wit, but Justice Osiagor refuse to sentence dem, instead e say make dem no do am again.

According to Babafemi, NDLEA dey create balance between dia advocacy initiative and enforcing di drug law for di kontri.

About celebrities wey dey promote drug abuse wit dia music video, di NDLEA tok-tok pesin say dem no fit arrest artistes sake of dat. E add say di agency dey operate wit wetin Nigerian law tok.

E say wetin di agency fit do na to put dis artistes on watchlist and arrest and prosecute dem wen dem find illegal substances wit dem.

14.3 million Nigerians abuse illegal substances

Babafemi tell BBC Pidgin say di survey wey dem conduct for 2017 and release for 2018 show say na 14.3 million Nigerians abuse illegal substances. E say dis pipo dey within di age bracket of 15 and 64.

“Dat particular survey no capture pipo wey dey below 15 and above 64,” Babafemi tell BBC Pidgin.

Babafemi also tok say out of di 14.3 million Nigerians wey dey abuse illegal substances, 10.6 million of dem abuse cannabis alone.

According to di tok-tok pesin, di agency destroy 852.142 hectares of cannabis plantation across di kontri in di last two and di half years.

Di danger of drug abuse

Drug abuse don lead many pipo to dia early grave, throw families into mourning, and shatter dreams wey suppose benefit humanity.

The danger of abusing illegal substances no be only for pesin wey dey abuse dose substances, di pesin also put oda pipo for risk.

Pipo wey dey abuse illegal substance dey at di risk of losing dia lives, according to experts.

One Nigerian psychiatrist wey follow BBC Pidgin tok about nitrous oxide aka laughing gas say illegal use of dis substance fit kill pesin wey dey abuse am.

“Ordinarily laughing gas na good tin for medical pipo especially dentists wey dey always use am to numb pain of pipo with tooth wahala wey need operation.

“But pipo wey wan high dey abuse am especially in parties wia some pipo dey blow am into balloons to inhale in order to do all sorts of tins out of control.

“Some pipo after use fit become unconscious and if help no come in time dem fit even lose dia lives as a result of laughing gas abuse.”

“While for some madness fit happun because na sometin wey dey affect normal functions of di brain,” di medical expert tok.

Dr Gudaji call on goment and di society to wake up to dia responsibility regarding dis problem wey e say fit spiral out of control.

“Di work to stop dis abuse na for everybody not only goment sake of say parents and society get role to play.”

“Dis young pipo wey dey abuse dis drug need to dey counseled on di dangers of wetin dem dey do,” di doctor add.