Be creative and stay off drugs, NGO counsels youths

Grace Aliyu, a pharmacist and director of Livingstream Foundation, has encouraged youths in the country to explore their creative abilities by engaging in arts as against taking to social vices.

Briefing journalists in Ilorin, at the Foundation’s first art exhibition for youths in tertiary institutions with the theme ‘Engaging children and adolescents to end drug abuse’ Aliyu said what informed the decision to embark on the project was to distract
people’s attention from drug abuse.

According to her, the NGO focuses on drug abuse prevention and girl-child empowerment, saying, “The concept is basically to sensitise youths and create alternative to drug abuse and that is why we decided to look into arts.

“An art is something that helps you to bring out your creative thinking. It could be in form of painting, drawing or scripture. So we want to encourage people to channel their energy into arts because
they have the energy and it must be used productively.”

Aliyu, who is passionate about creating a drug-free world using innovative method to reach out to different sets of people and educate them, said: “We need to join hands together, government is trying, but they cannot do it alone, we need parents, NGOs, institutions to key into the advocacy of ensuring good future for our youths.”

She disclosed that, “about 40 percent of youths in Nigeria are into drug abuse and if 40 percent of over 108 million populations are into drug abuse, the implication will be dangerous for the nation which
definitely means that the trend must be curtailed.

Aliyu urged the youths to use their lives positively, be productive members of their various communities and stay off drugs.

In his submission, Bakau Aliyu, chairman of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Kwara State Chapter, expressed dismay over the
increased cases of drug abuse in the country, saying that women now abuse drugs to escape depression and other life challenges.

Aliyu charged all and sundry to engage youths in the area of creativity and using their talents, be it in sports, art work and some other recreational activities to occupy their time in fruitful
ventures.

Binta Suleiman, a lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts, Kwara State University (KWASU), Malate, noted that everyone was blessed with skills and it must be effectively utilised for one to be self-reliant.

While explaining the importance of arts in human life she said: “Without Arts, nothing will happen because everything we do in life is work of arts. There are opportunities in graphics, industrial lay out, printing, textile, posters. So, every aspect of life has to do with art.

The exhibition attracted student participants from KWASU, University of Ilorin, Kwara Polytechnic and College of Education Ilorin, all in Kwara State.

SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin