By Foster Akpore | Abraka, Delta State | October 28, 2025
A renewed campaign against drug abuse is set to begin in Delta State, as the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) Club, in collaboration with Wisdom Class LiveCare Impact Initiative, announced the commencement of a statewide awareness and rehabilitation movement. The campaign will take off with a peaceful rally in Abraka on November 17, 2025, and continue in Asaba on November 24, 2025.
The initiative, spearheaded by Dr. Uche Esegbue, Convener of Wisdom Class, follows his declaration of a state of emergency against drug abuse in a YouTube broadcast on September 30, 2023. In that broadcast, Dr. Esegbue criticised the failure of the federal and state governments, as well as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), to take decisive action against the escalating menace.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, the organization plans to establish rehabilitation centres in Abraka and Obiaruku, alongside a voluntary drug testing and treatment programme aimed at identifying and assisting addicts. Dr. Esegbue urged individuals, institutions, and government agencies to join forces in confronting the crisis.
“All hands must be on deck,” he said. “We are calling on members of the public to step forward for voluntary drug testing. Any addict who can abstain from drugs for three weeks can test negative. This is an opportunity to access free treatment, counselling, and rehabilitation services.”
The initiative also advocates a review of the laws establishing the NDLEA to introduce compulsory drug testing in all institutions of learning before student admission. Dr. Esegbue proposed that those who test positive should be sent to rehabilitation centres, while recovered addicts who have dropped out of school should be supported with vocational skills to aid reintegration into society.
Citing the 2018 National Drug Use Survey jointly conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA), the group highlighted the alarming growth of substance abuse in Nigeria. The report found that one in seven Nigerians aged 15–65 had used drugs in the previous year, and one in five users suffered a drug-related disorder.
The report also warned that if the trend continues, Nigeria could have as many as 20 million drug users by 2030, worsening both public health and security challenges. A separate study by Abubakar Ibrahim Jatau et al (2021) placed the prevalence among students and youths at between 20 and 40 percent.
Researchers identified poor socioeconomic conditions, stress, and the desire to enhance physical or sexual performance as leading causes of substance use. Chronic abuse, according to experts, leads to lasting physical and psychological damage, especially among adolescents.
Dr. Esegbue emphasized that most health centres in tertiary institutions lack the capacity to treat addiction cases, resulting in patients being referred to tertiary hospitals, where they often fail to show up due to stigma or lack of financial means. “These individuals are not useless,” he said. “They need care, supervision, and compassion—not neglect.”
The WADA Club’s campaign aims to fill this gap through direct community engagement, voluntary testing, rehabilitation, and empowerment. “The addicts and destitute must be removed from the streets and given a chance to rebuild their lives,” Dr. Esegbue said.
The organization has called for broad partnership from the government, non-governmental organizations, and the public to sustain what it describes as a “people-driven war against drug abuse” in Delta State.