By Dennis Udoma, Uyo

Experts on drug and alcohol studies have identified media as agent of social change in the fight against substance usage and abuse in Nigeria.

Health Sociologist at the Center for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA), Mr. Ediomo – Ubong Nelson disclosed this at a One Day Media Round – Table with journalists in Uyo to mark this year’s World Drug Day titled, “Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention.”

He said, there cannot be meaningful progress in the effort to stop drug or substance usage by individuals without the media at the forefront.

The resource persons, who presented papers on drug and alcohol use, implications on health, society and the economy, took a swipe at the drug situation in Nigeria, Africa and the world in general and charged the media to appropriately use appreciative language in reporting persons with substance usage to avoid being perceived negatively.

He further stated that the media should ethically and responsively communicate drug related issues so as not to perpetuate the problem.

According to them, “The media is a critical change agent in changing the current narrative on stigmatising persons with drug use; being the foundation on which the drug use challenges can be communicated positively or negatively.

“Language can marginalise, stigmatise, alienate, exclude or include. It shapes perception, attitude and could have real life impact on social interactions; conveys stereotypes and biases which can make people feel unsafe, unwanted, unwelcome and rejected among other things.”

Participants at the discourse however, agreed that language misuse should be seen as a public health matter, while the society should be sensitised against exclusion.

They also advocated that there should be home-grown solutions to stem the tide of drug misuse, upgrading of available statistics to meet current realities on ground.

Others are that governments should target the early teens to avoid early addiction through public enlightenment and school programmes, establishment of rehabilitation centres to enhance rehabilitation of people with substance abuse and investment on prevention programmes targeting young people with trained professionals etc.

Former Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMPA) General Physician, Dr Tunji Akintade, has called for a ban on the sale of ‘nylon water’ to reduce the transmission of cholera disease in the country.

Dr Tunji made this known during an interview with journalists in Lagos.

He called to the Federal Government to take drastic measures at restricting it so that the sale of nylon water be reduced to further curbed the transmission and deaths arising from cholera outbreaks nationwide

The physician sounded a note of warning to the general public against consuming nylon water, pointing out that the source and purification of such water can not be ascertained because they are not properly registered.

He disclosed that past tests had confirmed the contamination of some boreholes and well water by pathogens, emphasising that nylon water was unsafe for consumption

“People can get cholera by drinking unsafe water or eating food contaminated with cholera bacteria.

“It’s so sad that people neglect their health because of financial concerns and some unscrupulous traders are cashing on it,” he said.

Akintade appealed to the government to intensify surveillance across communities and attach punitive measures for traders of nylon water toward safeguarding the health of citizens.

The physician also called for effective monitoring and regulations of pure water and bottled water factories to ensure they adhere to safety standards in their production.

He lamented the perennial cholera outbreak in the country, noting that cholera had ceased to be a public health concern in industrialised countries that deployed modern sewage and water treatment.

He urged the Federal and state governments to move beyond alerting the public about the unsafe conditions of the water source to expediting actions to improve access to clean and safe water through functional water boards.

The physician stressed that doing that would mitigate the health risks associated with the consumption of unsafe water, especially as rain and flooding are causing waterborne diseases in communities.

He added that ingesting contaminated food could also cause cholera, advising the public to ensure vegetables and fruits are properly washed before eating and food produced in a hygienic environment.

Akintade stressed the equipping of environmental inspection officers with improved training and equipment required to effectively monitor and clean the environment.

“The issue of revenue generation through them should be downplayed for them to achieve their core mandates, focusing on ways to generate money has trivialised their role.”

Cholera is an acute diarrhoea infection caused by eating or drinking food or water that is contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on June 24 disclosed that 53 deaths and 1,528 suspected cholera cases were recorded across 31 states, since the beginning of 2024.

Lagos State is the epicentre of the cholera outbreak with 29 fatalities, 579 suspected cases and 43 laboratory-confirmed cases across multiple Local Government Areas in the state.

Reports  has it that  some traders within Lagos State and it’s environ have increased the price of “pure water” also known as “sachet water” just to survive  the hardship in the country

A Sachet of water is  now being sold at N50 in most parts of Lagos, while nylon water is sold for N10 or N20, depending on the location.

As part of its efforts to enlighten the public,the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) in Oyo state has visited some food markets in Ibadan on Thursday to sensitise vendors on cholera and how to prevent its spread.

The chairwoman of the association, Omolola Alamu, said the association needed to collaborate with the state government to  put the outbreak on check

“NAWOJ is campaigning against the spread of cholera because we don’t want the people of Oyo State to contract cholera and, thereby, spread it in the state,” she said.

Ms Alamu said in order to achieve this the association went around to educate food vendors on the importance of maintaining good personal hygiene.

“We need a clean environment; we must ensure that food cooked for public consumption is done in a good environment and with clean water,” she said.

The chairperson also said that proactive approaches are necessary steps to ensure Ibadan residents are aware of cholera, going by the town’s proximity to Lagos, a state with high records of victims.

“There’s a need for urgent and proactive steps to ensure that everyone is aware of cholera, knowing what to do and what not to do.

“We picked food markets because many of the citizens buy cooked food to eat daily, and this is one of the fastest ways to contract cholera.

“We are educating food vendors to ensure that what they are selling is made with clean water and in a healthy environment,” she said.

Meanwhile, Chairwoman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) Chapel, Dupe Fehintola, said educating the public on preventive measures against cholera was pivotal.

According to her, prevention is better than cure.

Ms Fehintola said she was surprised that some of the market men and women were not aware of the cholera outbreak in the nation.

She added that at the Okrika market, two women said they had taken it upon themselves for a while now to educate their colleagues on the importance of proper hygiene.

“The market men and women are now getting more informed about cholera as we furnished them with more information in a one-on-one talk,” she said.