A team member of the Mountain Top University Rehabilitation Centre, Mr Olugbenga Taiwo, has warned students of the tertiary institution against drug abuse canvassing compassion for drug abusers above being regarded as criminals.
He made the call on Thursday during a lecture themed, “Compassion above criminalisation”, while exploring to the students the difference between the criminalisation approach and the compassion approach in drug abuse control.
The University Rehabilitation Centre in alliance with the Directorate of Apprenticeship and Community Relations, organised the public lecture to mark the 2025 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, otherwise known as the World Drugs Day.
He said the criminalisation approach relies on penalties behind drug abuse while the compassion approach helps the individual to redeem themselves.
“The criminalisation approach relies on expulsion, fines, detention, prosecution, but a compassion-based approach can pass in the individual to rebuild their life”, he explained.
He listed the challenges behind the criminalisation approach and urged the students to replicate the same approach with their neighbours, friends and families.
“The compassion-based approach must become the road”, he said.
The Director of Apprenticeship and Community Relations, Dr Omolola Omosebi, in an interview with PUNCH Metro, hinted at what could be done better by the university to address the menace of drug abuse.
“Well, I would say that the school is trying her best (in stemming drug abuse), they are putting measures in place to organise programmes like this, to sensitise the students, to make them know that there are issues out there and how they can avoid them.
“In doing all that, constantly, it is helping them to build their spiritual lives, telling them about what is expected of them by the community, by the nation, by the university and putting measures in place to also ensure that there are laws, because where there is no law, we won’t say there is an offence or something.
“There are laws in place also to guide the students so that they know that some of these things are bad because if those laws are not there, that means they can do anything they like. The fact that those laws are there is also a measure from the university to guide students in the right place.
“I believe strongly that when some of these students hear about the issues or the problems that can come up, and if they engage in some of those things, they will prevent or avoid going into substance abuse. This is because they love themselves and they don’t want their parents’ money to go to waste or be thrown out of school”, she stated.
Speaking on the significance of the symposium, the Team Leader of the Mountain Top Rehabilitation Centre, Mr Olusola Tejuosho, said the World Drugs Day is a day established by the United Nations to create awareness and sensitise the public to the dangers of drug use and trafficking.
“Well, today is World Drugs Day. It’s a day set aside by the United Nations to raise awareness and sensitise people to the dangers of drug use as well as trafficking,” he said.
PUNCH.
