BY KASE GREATNESS
The Truth Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council, has recently organised a highly successful seminar on drug abuse and prostitution. The event, which was informative, entertaining, and didactic, drew notable guests to redefine the challenges of prostitution and drug abuse, two social vices often described as “two sides of the same coin” in society.
In his welcome address, the Chapel Chairman, Comrade Chiedu Bandoh, observed that in today’s world, the Nigerian child has increasingly become a victim of poor orientation.
He lamented that many young people have been misled into believing that being “high” is a cool way to escape life’s challenges, a belief he described as false and dangerous.
According to him, “It is not freedom; it is deception.” He further noted that while prostitution may appear glamorous or rewarding at first glance, it carries serious physical, emotional, and moral consequences that have ruined countless promising lives and dreams.
The Delta State Council Chairman of the NUJ, Comrade Churchill Oyowe, in his remarks, commended the Truth Chapel for carrying out a notable sensitisation programme which he described as timely and deserving of wider support.
He urged students to “choose knowledge over drugs and prostitution”, stressing that the seminar served as a valuable platform for awareness, education, and empowerment, while reaffirming the critical role of the media in shaping societal values and promoting positive change.
The Member representing Oshimili South Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Bridget Anyafulu, who was a guest and resource person at the event, delivered a paper on the topic “Understanding Prostitution: Myths, Realities, and Societal Views.” She stated that prostitution is not a name to be proud of, noting that no one would willingly add it as a title in any formal engagement. Anyafulu commended the seminar as “a great and well-structured initiative,” describing prostitution and drug abuse as “a marriage of destruction working together to ruin lives, dreams, and futures.”
Also speaking at the event, the Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Tracy Ikolomi, whose lecture was themed “Drugs and Your Future: Impacts on Goals, Relationships and Opportunities,” expressed displeasure over the growing spread of drug addiction among youths.
