THESHIELD Garkuwa
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Nigerian Corpers Sensitizes over 10,000 students annually against Tobacco smoking and other substance at both private and public school.
The Three extra -ordinary volunteer corpers working with a non governmental organization in northern Nigeria (The eye opener foundation ) has trained over 10,000 students both at the pubic and private secondary school.
The aims is to raise more awareness to boys and girls on the dangers associated with cigarettes smoking. While stressing that Tobacco kills up to half of its users world wide.
All the corpers that has embarked on this year campaign ,were all Passionate about educating the young once on harmful effects of tobacco smoking and other substance in the communities ,
Mabia Uchechukwu Christian from university of Portharcourt who was posted to kaduna for his NYSC since last year ,told journalists that visited him at the center that, that His biological father died of lungs disease in 2008 and its as a result of using Tobacco cigarettes.
He said, it became mandatory for volunteer NYSC corpers to equally embarked on ceaseless campaign at schools on cigarettes smoking causes which caused bad breath,
Gum disease
Cancers
Premature wrinkles and grayish skin
Yellowed or stained teeth and fingernails.
The theme of his campaign is catch them young.
,
According to Mabia ,he said, he had desire to work and provide selfless services to humanity and to educate boys and girls on the dangers of cigarettes smoking among teenagers ,adult and Women groups.
Through out the year, he has trained thousands of students on various preventive ways against drug abuse in the society at various schools .
his goal is to carry the universal prevention campaigns, and to inaugurate The Tobacco/Substance Abstinence Clubs in 1000 secondary schools within two years.
The Club is a place where student will be thought on how to stay total Abstainance ,and also help save peers group from using Tobacco and substance missuse.
Additional,he pointed that Good communication is key toward helping your children say no to cigarettes. (Don’t just talk at your children, talk with them and spread the messages ).
(Show your kids that you value their thoughts and opinions as individuals. Don’t use fear as a motivator. It often comes across as judgmental and can put your child on the defense.)
Another corper Umoh Esther efemena doing her Nysc in kaduna. pointed that she has visited many schools while training many of them on harmful effects of smoking and drug abuse.
She said, she promised taking the campaigns to her state of origin after finishing her nysc service at kaduna.
According to Umoh her target was take the campaigns to 500 schools annually and creat clubs that would be enlightened hundreds of students on preventive measures against tobacco smoking in the society.
She says, Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
Umoh stressed that all forms of tobacco are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco. Cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide. Other tobacco products include waterpipe tobacco, various smokeless tobacco products, cigars, cigarillos, roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, marijuana.
Similarly, another volunteer corper Joshua Benjamin who has been supporting his mate through out the campaign at various school says, they have to join hands together toward sensitising thousands of northern Nigeria students on preventive ways against all sort of drugs abuse and other substance.
Responding, the national president of the foundation Mrs magret Julius expressed satisfaction over the various contributions been made by those volunteer corpers that came from various states.
She said, these corpers deserved national award for the been dedicated to the service to humanity
She ended by saying that the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year, including around 1.2 million deaths from exposure to second-hand smoke
She appealleed to state and federal government to support organizations and volunteers that are taking cigeratte and tobacco campaigns in order to sthrenthening their activities at communities, Ghettos, market, garbage, mosque and church, so as to raise more awareness
