Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed the circumstances that nearly led him to become a drug addict.
He made this statement in Abeokuta over the weekend at the second iteration of the ‘Fly Above The High’ anti-drug campaign conference organized by the Recovery Advocacy Network.
Obasanjo remarked that his experimentation with smoking during his youth resulted in chronic coughing and nearly developed into an addiction.
“If I had persisted, I could have become addicted. Once you get involved, it is difficult to get out.
“There’s nothing drug can do for you except destruction.
“We found out that West Africa has equally been a centre for drug consumption in a very bad way. That was more than 10 years ago, so the situation has since gone worse. And whatever applies to West Africa applies to all other parts of Africa,” Obasanjo said.
He cautioned against stigmatization and urged individuals who are already addicted to psychoactive drugs to get help.
The former President, while expressing concern over the rising incidence of drug abuse among Nigerians and other West Africans, urged Nigerian students and young individuals to abstain from the misuse of psychoactive substances, emphasizing that such practices detract from life rather than enhance it.
