MTN leads the conversation on Substance Abuse with “Drug Convos”

As part of its commitment to enabling strong values among the youth, MTN Nigeria will be commemorating the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking with conversations about the prevalence of substance abuse among Nigerian youth.

In collaboration with BusinessDay newspaper, UNODC, NETng, HipTV and MTV Base, MTN will host the ‘Drug Convos’, an online event on June 25, 2021, to deliberate on substance abuse; from first-time use to addiction. “Drug Convos” is a platform that enables young Nigerians to actively participate and contribute to in-depth conversations about substance abuse and addiction. The theme for this year is “Share Facts on Drugs, Save Lives.”

The discourse will feature popular acts in the Nigerian entertainment industry as well as advocates against substance abuse which include musical artistes — Joeboy; Y’ello Star Winner, DOTTi; media personality, Nenny B; artiste and anti-drug abuse campaigner, David Jones David, the Senior Pastor, House of Freedom, Tony Rapu and activist against drug abuse, Olawale Eso.

Other participants include the special guest of honour, Honourable Minister for Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare; Chairman MTN Nigeria Foundation, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, OFR, mni; Country Manager, ViacomCBS Networks Africa, Bada Akintunde-Johnson; Founder, Pinnacle Medical Services, Dr. Maymunah Kadiri; Country Representative, UNODC, Oliver Stolpe and Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya. The event will be hosted by Accelerate TV Host, Biodun Laaro.

The event is part of MTN’s Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP) launched in December 2018 as a multi-stakeholder intervention aimed at creating awareness about substance abuse and discouraging first-time use.