Codein diet.

The Nigerian government in it’s fight against the abuse of drugs and hard substance  among the youth today, May have  become tantamount to nothing. More than ever, the spectre is aggravated and formidable; as it rampage the affairs of the daily life of many youths in the northern parts of the country. According to Mr Olarewaju Ipinimisho,former DG of the NDLEA . He disclosed that Kano,Jigawa,Kaduna,Borno and lately Niger, are among states with the highest cases of constant drug abuse in thecountry.

Furthermore, he said “if you take an estimate of 10boys particularly in Kano, 7 out of the boys will be on one form of drug abuse or another”. The problem in these areas mentioned above can quickly  spread to other parts of the North, if all hands are not on desk.

 Trending within the circle of many youths today is, the party is never complete if Mr Codein and Co. is not invited “life of the party” as it’s formally called by the youths of this present generation. Worst still, research has also proven that 5000 bottles of Codein syrup is consumed  on a daily basis in Kano and Jigawa respectively.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), substance abuse is the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs.with the estimate of about 76.3 million people struggle with alcohol use disorders contributing to 1.8 million deaths per year.

 More so, the United Nations reported that around 185 million people globally over the age of 15 were consuming drugs by the end of the 20th century. No wonder it is said that Drug addiction, no doubt, has distressing and extremely awful consequences on the society. Violence, social deviance, mental disorders, upsurge in crime, corruption; destruction of individuals, erosion of societal values, undermining of national economies and premature death are some of the consequences of drug addiction.

Aisha, a Corper  posted to Niger state for the  Youth Service Corp (NYSC ) In 2017 batch. Through some of the rich spoilt kids,she was introduced to the  so called codein and other harmful substance . She was found on the street completely helpless and could hardly make a complete sentence, neither could she stand by herself without any help. Worst still,she could hardly made it to the rest room without already messing up herself. It Was a near death situation when she was found on the street on the streets of Minna,Many thought she was mad,others claimed she had being used for rituals.By the time series of tests was carried out on her,it was confirmed by  the doctors that she had being  exposed to extreme substance and drugs abuse. According to her parent they said “she was better, even though she can hardly recognize anyone. Aisha,if she was not  restless then she is   standing in one particular spot  just stairing at one particular direction,it can be scary at times and could take countless hours. Halocination the doctors call it . Even worst is that, Aisha had her hands and her legs chained to a metal just to restrict her from injuring herself or wondering off. There are thousands of young boys and girls going through the same predicament.Many amongs them wonder around the street or even worst dead.

Year in and year out we have heard the authorities claim to do something about the porosity of these substances on the streets. One will agree with me that it is only a theory that is always watered down. After several noise in the House of Assembly about what to do to save the situation and provide a lasting solution to this menace destroying the life's of our youths in the country.Eventually the flame of the matter dies out again.One among the many solution will be to tackle the unemployment issues in the youth sector.
Tackling the problem of unemployment in the country is relevant to reducing the menace of drug addiction among the youth in our society. According to a recent World Bank statistics, youth unemployment rate in Nigeria is 68%, but realistically, 80% of Nigerian youths are unemployed with secondary school graduates mostly found among unemployed rural population accounting for about half of this figure, while Universities and Polytechnic graduates make up the figure. What seems to be more worrisome is the fact that the nation’s Universities and Polytechnics continue to churn out more than 150,000 graduates both Bachelor’s degrees and Higher National Diploma annually and job creation has been inadequate to keep pace with the expanding working age population. Thus, idleness among youth could easily make drug addiction a fascinating option. The government have a major role to play in downsizing the further damages of this epidemic in our country. More So,parents have a major role to play also, must understand the importance of looking after their children. In their chase after economical values in the society they must also create time,spend time with their children. It is very important to inculcate moral values in the life of their children as this is the only way the society can be free from the menace of drugs and substance abuse.
Similarly, public enlightenment campaigns on the harmful effects of drug addiction must be stepped up by relevant government agencies, NGO, Faith Based Organizations, community leaders, traditional rulers, etc. Ignorance remains a major factor in drug addiction and so relevant stakeholders must continue to enlighten the youth on the evils of drug addiction and trafficking. Indeed, schools could include drug related issues in their curriculum. It is imperative that younger ones are taught the dangers that drug addiction pose to their health and future.

Domestic violence

       The unassumed horrors that cascades down upon the society, shinning its  lights, while the rest of us is forced  to hide.To hide behind the anguish of this formidable enemy that continue to parade the homes of many amongst us. Domestic violence. A cancer that continued to grow amongst us. Like  hydra it has become, you cut off one head and two more will just grow back up. Who is to blame,the society or the entire world at large.Domestic violence is not just a crime know with a particular region of the world,it is a challenge face by the entire world at large.
    It was reported in the year 2018 by the WHO that ,at every 12hours someone somewhere is going through one form of domestic abuse or another. Regardless of the mammoth damages, that this epidemic has continued to cause in different homes all over the world,may never be over emphasized. Global estimates published also by WHO indicate that about 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
Most of this  violence is said to be however, intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30%) of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence by their intimate partner in their lifetime.
Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner.
   In April 19 2018,Lagos state recorded 138 domestic violence and sexual cases.The victims in this abuse remain;majorly,women unfortunately.Nevertheless,
Violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health, and may increase the risk of acquiring HIV in some settings.while in others may even lead to a terrible death.
    Deep research has said that men are more likely to perpetrate violence if they have low education.A history of child maltreatment, exposure to domestic violence against their mothers, harmful use of alcohol, unequal gender norms including attitudes accepting of violence, leading to dangerous aggression has a lot pointing to ignorant.
    Lagos state have recorded 1337 cases of domestic violence documented with the
Authorities.50% of these cases happened in presence of children.On a daily basis children are more expose than ever to domestic violence.As hurtful as it sounds, children from homes with violence are much more likely to experience significant psychological problems short- and long-term.Needless to say that,children who one way or another may have experienced domestic violence often meet the diagnostic criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) and the effects on their brain are similarly to those experienced by combat veterans.
    Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner.The ones who survived the horrors of domestic violence suffer a long time severe damages,both  physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health, and may even increase the risk of acquiring HIV in some settings.
   Men are more likely to perpetrate violence if they have low education.A study has it, that history of child maltreatment, exposure to domestic violence against their mothers, harmful use of alcohol, unequal gender norms including attitudes accepting of violence, and a sense domestic violence in childhood is directly correlated with difficulties in learning, lower IQ scores, deficiencies in visual-motor skills and problems with attention and memory.

   Like the regular saying goes "whatever You do now,must echoe in the future".If we care about the future of our children we must learn tolerance and understand that domestic violence can only destroy much more than it can fix.Children of domestic violence are 3 times more likely to repeat the cycle in adulthood, as growing up with domestic violence is the most significant predictor of whether or not someone will be engaged in domestic violence later in life. Always remember that,whatever you do now must echoe in future.If you as a father indulge in this act of violence in the presence of 6 children,know that as a father you have predominantly destroyed the tomorrow for 6 generations unborn.