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I just read a story of a twenty four years old buy who stabbed his both parents to death. On account of drugs after he was repatriated from Dublin where he was sent to study abroad.
I don't know whether he had started doing drugs in Nigeria before he traveled out or he got the habit over there.
Some years back, we were supposed to hold drug sensitization and awareness training for one of the elite secondary school for both the students and their parents, although for logistics reasons it didn't hold.
Majority of the students from that school, travel abroad for their University education and so the principal was visibly worried about the young teenagers being quickly shipped abroad for education with no consideration if they have the capacity to deal with the exigencies of a new environment.
As at that time, some of the students including males and females who were fine before traveling abroad, were brought home on account of drugs and are being managed here.
The principal was vehemently opposing sending teenagers abroad especially if you do not have a reliable family to entrust the care of your child.
That brings me to the issue of our unpreparedness to talk about the issues of drugs. I realized that we still hide it, talk in hush tones.
The best and safe place is prevention. How do you ensure prevention? What should parents be doing about it?
We need continuous engagement with our young people. Find out what they know. Watch how they react and respond when certain topics or trending matters are going on.
Do not think you are not involved because on the face value, your kids look okay, probe more and deeper. As long as you have a teenager, engage them fully. Be their friend so that they will be willing to tell you early when something is going on.
I remembered a client then, he kept saying in my office, "I raised him well, I raise him well" but he was on drugs, and that's the sad reality.
You can do something more to help our young people, register them in the mentorship programme. It brings a brain reset.
We are still giving beauty for ashes.
