How Tramadol almost destroyed me - Young undergraduate Saddam Saidu reveals shocking revelation of recovery from drug abuse

macfranc007 June 29, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Onyirioha Nnamdi

A young Nigerian undergraduate, Saddam Saidu, from the Federal University, Lokoja has revealed how through friends he became addicted to Tramadol, a lifestyle which almost cost him his life if not for the intervention of his father, Mohammed.

Saddam Saidu, a student of the Federal University, Lokoja, from the department of Political Science, has narrated how drug addiction nearly destroyed him, if not for the intervention of his father, Mohammed.

Saddam explained that he became addicted to Tramadol and other pills through friends who were drug abusers, Punch reports.

Saddam’s narration was confirmed by his father during a town hall meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday, June 26, to mark the 2018 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking, with the theme, ‘Listen first: Listening to children and youths is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe.’

Saddam admonished parents to closely observe their children and wards, adding that the future of a lot of youngsters has been ruined by drug abuse and addiction.

Saddam stated: “I finished my secondary school about eight years ago, but I am in 200 level at the university. You can see how my addiction had affected my academic progress. The last time I saw some of my friends, they were so impressed, they kept telling me I was looking good; I want to thank my father for not giving up on me.”

Mohammed revealed that saving Saddam came at a high price, adding that he had to place him in an expensive rehabilitation clinic in Wuse, Abuja.

He said: “I was running an online Masters programme with a foreign university. The programme cost me $2,250 but I had to abandon the programme to focus on the rehabilitation of my son.”

The chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Col. Muhammad Abdallah (retd.), said beyond clamping down on offenders, his agency was enlightening the youths about drug abuse.

Abdallah said: “It is not acceptable that parents who have the primary responsibility of listening to their wards have rather resorted to blaming teachers, pastors, Imams, law enforcement agencies and even their children’s peers for their drug indulgence.”

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Concerning the troubling trend, the national security adviser, Major-General Babagana Monguno (retd.), stated that enormous volume of substances were still produced, trafficked and consumed throughout the world despite the efforts of agencies to stem the tide.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported that boxes of drug, including Tramadol, the commonly abused prescribed-only pain relief, which were being smuggled into Nigeria from Togo, had been confiscated by officials of the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) in the Volta Region, Ghana.

Concealed in empty boxes of a popular noodles brand, the drug were being smuggled through an unapproved route at a point referred to as ‘Kpoglo border’ near Ho, in Ghana.

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