Godfrey Bakji and Chinedu Okafor
The Director of FUOYE’s Counselling and Human Development Centre, Professor Benjamin Omolayo, has described the growing rate of substance abuse among students as alarming, calling for urgent intervention.
Speaking during a sensitization programme on substance use and abuse held across students’ hostels at the Oye and Ikole campuses, Professor Omolayo said the university was compelled to embark on the awareness campaign following reports and observations indicating that some students were engaging in the misuse of the dangerous substances within the hostels and other locations on campus.
According to him, “the Centre recently handled a case involving a student whose unusual behaviour raised concerns about his mental health”, pointing out that the student was reported to the Centre after repeatedly wandering around male and female hostels, a development that prompted counsellors to intervene.
“The student was subsequently referred through the university health system to a mental health facility for further evaluation and treatment”, he stressed.
Professor Omolayo revealed that investigations linked the student’s condition to the use of a substance commonly known as “ice,” adding that information obtained during counselling suggested that the substance was being consumed by some students within hostel premises and surrounding bushes.
Some of the substances highlighted during the sensitization programme include cannabis (marijuana), tramadol, codeine-based syrups, methamphetamine popularly known as “ice”, cocaine, shisha, cigarettes, alcohol and other psychoactive substances commonly associated with drug abuse among youths.
He noted that such practices posed serious risks to the health, safety and academic well-being of students.
The Director stressed that the university was strengthening collaboration with the Student Affairs Division and Support Services, Students’ Union Government and hostel executives to curb the menace.
He explained that the institution was encouraging hostel officials and student leaders to provide timely information on suspected cases of drug abuse so that appropriate interventions can be initiated before the situations deteriorate.
The Counsellor further criticized lapses in hostel monitoring, arguing that the presence of drug users within residential facilities raises questions about supervision and security.
To address this challenge, he disclosed that hostel porters and other relevant personnel have been sensitized and encouraged to be more vigilant, particularly during students’ resumption periods, when prohibited substances could be brought into the hostels.
Professor Omolayo noted that the “university’s support mechanisms extend beyond awareness creation to counselling, rehabilitation and referrals for specialized medical treatment where necessary, adding that while some cases could be managed through counselling and therapy, others may require professional medical attention at mental health facilities, depending on the severity of the addiction and its effects on the individual.
He also appealed to students not to remain silent when confronted with cases of substance abuse among their peers.
Rather than allowing fear of stigma or disciplinary measures to prevent intervention, he urged students to report suspected cases to the Counselling and Human Development Centre.
Photo credit: Chinedu Okafor
