At first glance, Nnamdi Akikodi doesn’t look like a person who’s been through hell and made it back. Calm, articulate, and now a passionate youth mentor, his presence during the MTN Anti-Substance Abuse Programme’s Advocacy Walk in Lagos on June 21 was sobering and inspiring. Behind the composed exterior he presented is a story that shook the entire room. “I started using drugs in JSS3,” he admitted. “I was just 13.”
Raised in Lagos, Nnamdi was one of three children from a middle-income home. He described himself as “that quiet kid” who loved cartoons and maths. But in his teenage years, everything changed. Peer pressure crept in. He was curious. And vulnerable. “A friend offered me a blunt. I said no at first. Then I said yes. That’s where everything started.”
By SS2, drugs had become part of his routine. Weed, pills, codeine-based mixtures. His personality began to shift. He grew withdrawn, erratic, and emotionally volatile.
Still, he managed to make it to university but never graduated. He enrolled in two separate institutions. But addiction followed him to both.
Sitting across from behavioural psychologist Dr. Itunuoluwa Onifade in a raw and revealing fireside chat, Nnamdi shared his journey through the dark world of substance abuse. His words were simple, but they struck deeply: “I became psychotic. That was the turning point. I lost my sanity.”
His story began, as many do, with curiosity and peer pressure. “Someone said I should just try a cigarette. I said no at first. Then I thought, let me just take one. Six weeks later, I couldn’t stop,” he recounted to a silent audience at the University of Lagos.
The chat with Nnamdi formed a key part of the activities after the ASAP advocacy Walk. Organised in partnership with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Lagos State ministries, the event brought hundreds of stakeholders together under the theme “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention.”
Nnamdi’s story is proof of that theme. His descent into addiction nearly cost him his life. “I lost touch with my family. I didn’t recognise myself anymore. I just knew I needed change,” he said.
Dr. Onifade, known for her work in trauma recovery and youth psychology, used the session to help listeners build emotional resilience. She spoke of “normal signs”, early emotional red flags like irritability, withdrawal, or panic attacks, and encouraged young people to develop a coping strategy before reaching a breaking point. “There will always be something more stressful than your emotional capacity,” she said. “Prepare. Know your signs. And protect yourself.”
The walk itself started from Gbagada and ended at UNILAG, with hundreds waving signs that read “Break the Cycle” and “#NoToDrugAbuse.” But the heartbeat of the event was Nnamdi’s honesty, a human reminder of what is at stake.
MTN Foundation and its partners hope that stories like his will spark honest conversations in homes, schools, and communities, and ultimately help others find their way back.