In a renewed push to confront the rising tide of drug abuse among Nigerian youth, stakeholders converged on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at the ICC Dome, Enugu, for a State Stakeholders’ Engagement convened under the Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP).
The conference brought together government representatives, educators, development partners, and civil society actors to chart a unified path against substance abuse, with disclosures at the gathering revealing that an estimated ₦33 billion has so far been committed to developmental projects, programmes, and initiatives across the country, interventions that have impacted more than 33 million Nigerians directly and reached over 100 million through advocacy and awareness campaigns.
The Executive Governor of Enugu State, Barr. Peter Mbah, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, commended the Foundation for its sustained investment in youth development and the fight against substance abuse.
He noted that the state’s transformation agenda is anchored in youth empowerment, education, healthcare, and human capital development – areas where the Foundation’s ₦33 billion commitment was already making a measurable difference.
“The MTN Foundation’s investment in youth development and the fight against substance abuse aligns directly with our administration’s transformational agenda. Initiatives like ASAP are exactly the kind of partnerships that move the needle on national development,” Prof. Onyia said.
He further urged other private sector players to emulate the Foundation’s example, stressing that the scale of Nigeria’s drug abuse demands sustained collaboration between government, the private sector, development partners, and civil society.
Addressing stakeholders, the Executive Director of the MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya, said the Foundation, established in 2004 and fully funded by MTN Nigeria, was created to drive impact across health, capacity building, and economic empowerment, with deliberate focus on young people, who constitute the majority of Nigeria’s population.
She explained that the ASAP initiative, launched in 2019 in partnership with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), was designed to reduce first-time drug use among young Nigerians through awareness campaigns and school-based interventions.
“We have reached over 50,000 students across the country and trained about 1,556 teachers as part of our efforts to create anti-drug ambassadors in schools and communities.”
“For us at the MTN Foundation, saving even one young person from substance abuse is a worthwhile achievement. The consequences go beyond the individual and affect families, communities, and the nation at large,” Odunayo said.
Looking ahead, she disclosed that the Foundation plans to reach more than 20,000 additional students in 2026 through expanded stakeholder engagements, school-based interventions, teacher training programmes, and community awareness campaigns.
She described substance abuse as a major threat to families, communities, and national development, stressing the urgent need for collective action to shield young people from addiction.
According to her, the Foundation’s mission is rooted not just in numbers, but in human outcomes – the lives, families, and futures it helps preserve.
The Executive Director, on her part, called on parents, educators, faith leaders, and community influencers to remain active partners in safeguarding the next generation from the dangers of substance abuse.
The intervention comes at a critical time. Fresh data presented at the conference indicate that over 360,000 youths in Enugu State – approximately 13.4% of the state’s young population – are actively involved in drug use.
Currently, the MTN Foundation (MTNF) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are conducting a comprehensive National Substance Use Survey to gather grassroots data on drug abuse, especially among secondary school students.
