The Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), has commissioned a modern 24/7 call centre that would attend to Nigerians with needs on drug related issues from all parts of the country.
Marwa said that the NDLEA’s call centre with toll free helpline would be manned by professionals and experts in counseling, psychotherapy, psychology and psychiatry among others.
According to him, “the provision of this toll-free helpline is a milestone in our resolve to broaden access to quality health care for drug users in the country. This has become a necessity and a strategic intervention in our determined effort to bring under control the increasing cases of drug use disorder and related health concerns.”
He stated that the 26 treatment facilities across its commands are grossly inadequate in the face of statistics of drug users and those suffering from drug use disorder.
Marwa said: “NDLEA recognised the importance of providing a safety bubble for users who ordinarily cannot access the conventional treatment services at established rehabilitation centres due to poverty, social stigma and the resultant discrimination attached to being an identified drug user in society, among other factors.
“Therefore, the inevitability and the utility of a toll-free helpline that guarantees anonymity, confidentiality and safety, as a motivation for those in need of health help to freely seek such.”
He added that “the NDLEA Call Centre is manned by a team of licensed and credible clinical psychologists, counselors, support workers and mental health professionals who would provide the needed support in aiding recovery, managing social and emotional problems, improving quality of life and enhancing performance and productivity of the users of the service. With its state-of-the-art equipment and its team of highly trained professionals in substance abuse disorder, this centre offers a tele-therapy service according to global best practices.”
He disclosed that “the benefit of the call centre is manifolds. Aside from helping us in providing telephone-based psychosocial support and addiction services in the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), it will at the same time provide us with information that will deepen our understanding of the country’s dynamics of drug use and potentially put us ahead of the game.”
“To those in need of help, we open a new chapter today, whereby help is just a phone call away. We have simplified the helpline service by making it language-sensitive whereby callers have the choice of language including English, Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. And very importantly, the helpline is open 24/7. A call to the helpline, 0800 1020 3040, elicits a prompt response from professionals, regardless of the time or geographic location.
“The calls open the door to engagements with counselors, followed by service orientation that leads to case management, at which point the engagement moves from telephone assessment to follow-up therapy sessions and referral.
“This seamless process ends in Resolution and Aftercare Follow-Up. Given the simplicity of the process, there is no valid excuse for not accessing treatment by drug users and their concerned families.
“We expect those concerned to take advantage of this opportunity.”
In their remarks at the event, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), who was represented by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mr. Muhammed Abubakar; the UNODC Country Representative, Mr. Oliver Stolpe, and the European Union Delegation Representative, Eleni Zerzerlidou, commended the NDLEA for the initiative, while calling for its expansion and sustenance.
The Chief Executive of the company that would be managing the centre, Primly Services Limited, Dr. Vincent Udenze, commended Marwa for providing the leadership that made the initiative a reality.
