Abia Youths Raise Alarm Over Drug Abuse Around Primary Schools, Demand Jobs, Security and Greater Inclusion

By Praise Chinecherem

Youths in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State have raised serious concerns over the growing abuse and trafficking of hard drugs around public primary schools, warning that the trend is exposing children to substance abuse at an early age.

The concerns were raised during the Umuahia North Local Government Quarterly Dialogue Session held at the council headquarters. The engagement was organised by the Catch Them Young Community Initiative (CATYCOI) to promote citizen participation and strengthen accountability in local governance.

Speaking during the session, a participant, Raymond, described the presence of drug dealers around schools as a disturbing development requiring urgent government intervention.

“The increasing presence of hard drugs around public primary schools is exposing children to dangerous influences. Government must act swiftly to protect our schools and safeguard the future of these children,” he said.

Raymond also decried the rising rate of youth unemployment despite the growing number of educated young people in the state. He urged government to prioritise vocational training, entrepreneurship development and skills acquisition programmes that would make youths employable and self-reliant.

Supporting the position, Gideon attributed unemployment to inadequate government attention to youth welfare and economic empowerment.

Residents also highlighted the economic hardship facing young people.

Ikechukwu Chibuzor criticised the high electricity bills imposed on residents despite poor and erratic power supply across communities, while Eunice Kalu lamented the soaring cost of house rent and alleged exploitative practices by housing agents.

Drawing from her experience as a recent graduate and National Youth Service Corps member, Kalu said the housing situation has become unbearable for many young people trying to build independent lives.

“Many young people are struggling to secure decent accommodation because of rising rents and the activities of housing agents. There should be policies to protect tenants from exploitation,” she said.

Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) also demanded greater inclusion in government programmes, employment opportunities and empowerment initiatives.

Chidimma Maduka, a participant with an intellectual disability, said persons with intellectual disabilities are often excluded from interventions meant for PWDs.

“People often see us through the lens of charity instead of capability. We deserve equal access to employment opportunities and government empowerment programmes,” she stated.

Kalu Samuel urged the local government to design programmes specifically targeted at persons with intellectual disabilities and engage disability cluster leaders to ensure equitable distribution of benefits.

Participants equally sought greater transparency in the execution and monitoring of government projects, questioning whether qualified monitoring and evaluation professionals supervise ongoing projects in the area.

On security, Innocent Jonah expressed concern over recent kidnapping incidents in neighbouring communities and called for stronger security measures across Umuahia North.

While commending Governor Alex Otti and the Mayor of Umuahia North for visible infrastructural improvements, another participant, Daniel, called for greater transparency in revenue collection, alleging that funds generated from the Gate Market area should be properly accounted for.

Ebube, another participant, applauded the current administration for programmes that have positively impacted young people, describing them as encouraging signs of responsive governance.

Earlier, CATYCOI State Coordinator, Daberechi, described the dialogue as historic, noting that it was the first time youths from different backgrounds had engaged directly with local government officials in such an open forum.

Executive Director of CATYCOI, Nonso Orakwe, said the initiative was designed to strengthen citizen participation, deepen accountability and provide residents with an opportunity to raise issues affecting governance and service delivery.

Responding on behalf of the local government, the Personal Assistant to the Mayor, Ndubueze Fortune, assured participants that security remains a top priority.

He disclosed that the recent kidnapping case cited during the meeting was under active investigation and that security agencies were working to rescue the victims. He also revealed that the Mayor had been engaging community leaders to strengthen grassroots security.

Addressing concerns over drug abuse around schools, the Mayor’s Press Secretary, Courage Ogbonna, said the council had already requested the construction of perimeter fences around public primary schools to curb drug trafficking and unauthorised access.

“We are in constant engagement with security agencies on this issue, and a request has already been forwarded to the state government for perimeter fencing of public primary schools to improve security,” Ogbonna said.

On project monitoring, Ogbonna explained that all government projects are supervised by the Ministry of Works and relevant technical teams to ensure compliance with approved standards.

He acknowledged concerns over the inclusion of persons with disabilities and pledged that future empowerment programmes would involve leaders of different disability clusters to ensure broader participation.

Ogbonna also noted that the local government is unable to recruit workers because of the existing employment embargo but promised continued engagement with stakeholders to address youth unemployment. He further disclosed plans to work with members of the State House of Assembly to advocate legislation supporting drug rehabilitation programmes and dedicated budgetary provisions.

Responding to allegations of revenue diversion, Fortune maintained that all authorised revenue collection is handled by the Abia State Government and advised residents to report anyone collecting revenue illegally in the name of the local government.

The dialogue ended with renewed calls for sustained collaboration between government, civil society organisations and community members to address youth unemployment, insecurity, drug abuse, disability inclusion and other development challenges.

The event attracted about 30 participants, including youths, Persons with Disabilities, civil society organisations and officials of the Umuahia North Local Government Area.