Let’s be honest. If you’d told us last week that we’d be in Enugu by 6:30 AM, walking and chanting with young Nigerian teachers, members of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Air Force, Civil Defence, Fire Service, and even Corp members, we might have laughed, rolled over in bed, and continued to sleep. However, ASAP (MTN’s Anti-Substance Abuse Programme) had other plans.
Why were we awake and on the road so early?
For some context, there is a drug epidemic in Nigeria. In 2024, the NDLEA raised an alarm that about 14 million Nigerians are estimated to be involved in the abuse of harmful drugs. Even more sadly, many of the users are young.
But, how do you fix a big problem that no one wants to care about? It’s quite simple: make people care enough to act. And that’s just what MTN is doing with its Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP). Since 2019, millions of young Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 24, relevant organisations and bodies in government and the private sector come together to make Nigeria listen and act. And they do this with colourful advocacy walks across the streets of Nigeria, training programmes, school quiz competitions and other fun activities that can help young Nigerians understand and embrace the stance against drugs.
So, what happened in Enugu?
Well, the coal city showed up. Loud. Proud. And purposeful.
For the first time in Enugu, we dressed in yellow shirts, holding cardboard signs, and with serious energy we moved Zik Avenue to GRA, with one voice. One mission. One big, bold “No” to the creeping, silent epidemic threatening Nigeria’s future- substance abuse.
Yes, we were sweaty, exhausted and getting in our much-needed 10,000 steps for the day, but it was fun – we saw kids dance like their lives depended on it, we watched school girls giggle as they walked with their friends from other schools.
What scares us?
In Enugu, just like in Lagos, Kano, and Abuja, the stories are the same: young dreams derailed by codeine, skunk, tramadol, meth, and the infamous “colos”.
And the stories we heard from some of the students showed us why this was more important now than ever. Nkechi (real name withheld), a 17-year-old Commercial student who said she lost her cousin last year to a substance no one in their house wants to talk about. Nonso (real name withheld), swears he has seen more drug drops than homework centres in his area. Mama Kelechi, a roadside akara seller, joined the walk because, as she put it, “Dis na our children. I no just dey look.”
It was not just a walk
The ASAP Walk in Enugu wasn’t your typical awareness campaign. It was a community declaration. That this city, this state, is not staying silent. The walk was a reminder of the future we were fighting for: each giggling girl and boy we passed was a peek at the next 20 to 30 years. One of them could be a Literature Prize Winner, another could be the one who will put Africa in space on our terms. All dreams that can come true, but will be stopped if they got sucked into the chaos of addiction.