We need centres on drug abuse’
Prof. Isidore Obot
What is CRISA all about and what are your concerns?
CRISA was founded in Jos, Plateau State when I returned to work at the University of Jos, and at that time, drugs use was becoming a problem, especially among young people in the Northern parts of the country. My colleagues and I thought it wise to do something and the first thing was to come up with a centre that will focus on drugs abuse and that is how we came up with CRISA.
CRISA is basically to encourage research, engage in prevention activities, creating awareness in the early stage within the Jos metropolis and also organizing these conferences on drugs that has grown to become major events in our calendar.
The informational biennial conference on drugs and society comes up after every two years. We have had one in Jos, Abuja and Lagos; and in 2016 we are going to Abuja again. People have attended these conferences from across the globe. CRISA has also been consistent in publishing an international research and academic journal; ‘African Journal on drugs abuse, alcohol prevention and treatment issues’. We have published these journals twice annually since 2000. This is a journal every international researcher wants to publish his/her article in.
I left Jos to work for the World Health Organization in 2002 and then headed a department in the School of Public Health in the United States and in 2006, I decided that it was time to return home. I did that in 2008 and it is natural that CRISA should be where the founder is and with that, the headquarters moved to Uyo, but we have an office in Abuja which we share with another NGO.
You have been organizing conferences on drugs and society since 1991, what have you achieved since you started?
One of the major achievements of CRISA is the biennial conference in 1991 which we had two foreigners in attendance and by 2012 we had people from 12 different countries of the world and in 2014, in spite of Ebola, we still had people from 10 countries, even after some dropped out for the fear of Ebola. This conference provides an avenue for academic researchers in Nigeria and Africa to present their work. So it encourages people to do research; gives opportunity to young academicians to present the findings of their research. This is a specialized field though not a big one, but highly specialized and the number of those interested in the field has been growing because of the opportunities that exist for them to present their research. Because of this, more people are interested in seeking answers and providing solutions to problems we have in drugs in the continent as a whole. Above all, the conferences have made CRISA to be known worldwide.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has invited you to set up a treatment centre in Uyo. What will the centre look like and who will benefit from it?
We are happy that we have been selected by UNODC to set up a community based treatment facility in Uyo. It is part of the funding from the European Union (EU) to address drugs problems in Nigeria, starting from supply reduction and demand reduction. The opportunity for treatment has been lacking in Nigeria, because of this, many young and old people who have issues with drugs and seek treatment, cannot find a place to go. So it is a big challenge for Nigeria as a whole. A team from CRISA was Lagos for a training workshop on how to run the centre. The United Nations is going to fund it, just for one year and that is why we are focusing on treatment strategies that will be effective for a country like Nigeria. By effective, I mean how can we reduce problems that are associated with drugs, so that people can live life free of drugs abuse?
The United Nations General Assembly is holding a special session next year (2016) on drugs what is it all about? How prepared is Nigeria to attend it? What is it likely to achieve?
Yes, it is for people who are in the field of drugs abuse, especially those involved in the policies. Around the world, people are engaged in workshops and conferences to prepare for the meeting of all member states next year in New York, to review the progress that we have made in addressing drugs problems across the globe. It is unfortunate that despite all efforts, we have not witnessed significant decrease in drugs use. Related problems and statistics from the UN show that the numbers of people who have and are using drugs have remained stable over the years.
Also the number of those who go into drugs has remained without significant decrease. It is a rare event, the last time was 1998 that United Nations itself gathered to work at how far we have gone? What do we need to do the job better, by reducing the number of those who use drugs, reduce the problems associated with drugs and cut down on the harms drugs has caused the people?
What is the level of support from the state and federal government?
We really need partners like ministries of health, youths, and women affairs and social welfare as well as other civil society organizations.
We have been inviting them but in finance, nothing has been done by the government. On this centre, we are trying to partner with the state government to come out with a counterpart fund, because it is for the good of Akwa Ibom citizens first. At the federal level, there is no consistent interest on the work, but there are some states that are inviting us to come and do something about drugs abuse in their states.
CRISA was founded in Jos, Plateau State when I returned to work at the University of Jos, and at that time, drugs use was becoming a problem, especially among young people in the Northern parts of the country. My colleagues and I thought it wise to do something and the first thing was to come up with a centre that will focus on drugs abuse and that is how we came up with CRISA.
CRISA is basically to encourage research, engage in prevention activities, creating awareness in the early stage within the Jos metropolis and also organizing these conferences on drugs that has grown to become major events in our calendar.
The informational biennial conference on drugs and society comes up after every two years. We have had one in Jos, Abuja and Lagos; and in 2016 we are going to Abuja again. People have attended these conferences from across the globe. CRISA has also been consistent in publishing an international research and academic journal; ‘African Journal on drugs abuse, alcohol prevention and treatment issues’. We have published these journals twice annually since 2000. This is a journal every international researcher wants to publish his/her article in.
I left Jos to work for the World Health Organization in 2002 and then headed a department in the School of Public Health in the United States and in 2006, I decided that it was time to return home. I did that in 2008 and it is natural that CRISA should be where the founder is and with that, the headquarters moved to Uyo, but we have an office in Abuja which we share with another NGO.
You have been organizing conferences on drugs and society since 1991, what have you achieved since you started?
One of the major achievements of CRISA is the biennial conference in 1991 which we had two foreigners in attendance and by 2012 we had people from 12 different countries of the world and in 2014, in spite of Ebola, we still had people from 10 countries, even after some dropped out for the fear of Ebola. This conference provides an avenue for academic researchers in Nigeria and Africa to present their work. So it encourages people to do research; gives opportunity to young academicians to present the findings of their research. This is a specialized field though not a big one, but highly specialized and the number of those interested in the field has been growing because of the opportunities that exist for them to present their research. Because of this, more people are interested in seeking answers and providing solutions to problems we have in drugs in the continent as a whole. Above all, the conferences have made CRISA to be known worldwide.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has invited you to set up a treatment centre in Uyo. What will the centre look like and who will benefit from it?
We are happy that we have been selected by UNODC to set up a community based treatment facility in Uyo. It is part of the funding from the European Union (EU) to address drugs problems in Nigeria, starting from supply reduction and demand reduction. The opportunity for treatment has been lacking in Nigeria, because of this, many young and old people who have issues with drugs and seek treatment, cannot find a place to go. So it is a big challenge for Nigeria as a whole. A team from CRISA was Lagos for a training workshop on how to run the centre. The United Nations is going to fund it, just for one year and that is why we are focusing on treatment strategies that will be effective for a country like Nigeria. By effective, I mean how can we reduce problems that are associated with drugs, so that people can live life free of drugs abuse?
The United Nations General Assembly is holding a special session next year (2016) on drugs what is it all about? How prepared is Nigeria to attend it? What is it likely to achieve?
Yes, it is for people who are in the field of drugs abuse, especially those involved in the policies. Around the world, people are engaged in workshops and conferences to prepare for the meeting of all member states next year in New York, to review the progress that we have made in addressing drugs problems across the globe. It is unfortunate that despite all efforts, we have not witnessed significant decrease in drugs use. Related problems and statistics from the UN show that the numbers of people who have and are using drugs have remained stable over the years.
Also the number of those who go into drugs has remained without significant decrease. It is a rare event, the last time was 1998 that United Nations itself gathered to work at how far we have gone? What do we need to do the job better, by reducing the number of those who use drugs, reduce the problems associated with drugs and cut down on the harms drugs has caused the people?
What is the level of support from the state and federal government?
We really need partners like ministries of health, youths, and women affairs and social welfare as well as other civil society organizations.
We have been inviting them but in finance, nothing has been done by the government. On this centre, we are trying to partner with the state government to come out with a counterpart fund, because it is for the good of Akwa Ibom citizens first. At the federal level, there is no consistent interest on the work, but there are some states that are inviting us to come and do something about drugs abuse in their states.
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