MTN Nigeria, the telecommunications company, has announced a partnership agreement with Netng and some media outfits seen at creating awareness against substance abuse in commemorating the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking with an unfiltered conversation about the increasing prevalence of drug abuse among Nigerian youth.
MTN partnered with MTV Base, BusinessDay, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to host a Drug Convos on Thursday, 26 June, 2020.
With the current restriction on movement, MTN leveraged its digital platform across spectrum for an online Drug Convos to discuss everything around drug abuse, from addiction to how first-time users get hooked.
A statement from the telecommunication company said the collaboration with Netng was based on its status as a leading voice in Nigerian pop culture and the number one source of entertainment for young people, hence the partnership to reach youth with this important message in a language they can understand via various digital media channels.
MTN’s Anti Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP) was launched in December 2018 as a multi-stakeholder intervention aimed at creating awareness about drug and substance abuse, and discouraging first time users from taking the first step to possible addiction.
A 2018 survey by NOIPolls concluded that marijuana, codeine, and alcohol are the most abused substances in Nigeria, “particularly amongst teenagers and young adults aged between 15 – 29 years.”
However, in 2019, MTN through ASAP visited secondary schools to have open discussions about the dangerous effects of substance abuse among young people who fall into the most affected demography.
