The Edo State Government has intensified its anti-drug campaign with a statewide sensitisation tour across tertiary institutions, aiming to curb the growing trend of substance abuse among young people.
The initiative, tagged “Shine Above Drug Abuse,” is being led by Andrew Efe, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Monday Okpebholo on Drug and Illicit Control. The campaign has already reached institutions across the state’s three senatorial districts, including the University of Benin, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, and Auchi Polytechnic.
Speaking during Wednesday’s engagement, Efe said the tour was conceived in response to the alarming rise in substance misuse and the need for early intervention—a priority of the Okpebholo administration.
He noted that the government is determined to build a future where young people resist drugs, crime and the pressures that push them toward harmful habits.
Efe told students during a town hall session at UNIBEN that the decisions they make today will shape the course of their lives. He urged them to take responsibility, live with purpose, and support one another in creating drug-free academic communities.
At Ambrose Alli University, he emphasised that the state’s strategy is preventive, stressing that schools remain one of the most critical spaces for early engagement.
