A total of 120 government school counsellors in Lagos State have received specialised training to strengthen efforts to prevent and tackle substance abuse among students.
The two-day programme, organised by the Mountain Top Rehabilitation Centre, focused on improving counsellors’ ability to prevent drug abuse, identify early warning signs, provide counselling and refer students for professional support when necessary. Participants were drawn from the six educational districts across the state.
Speaking at the training, the Team Lead of the Mountain Top Rehabilitation Centre, Olusola Tejuosho, said the initiative was designed to equip counsellors with practical skills to address substance abuse before it becomes a bigger problem.
“We are doing a training for government school counsellors across Lagos State because we believe prevention is cheaper than treatment. Prevention is better than cure,” he said.
Tejuosho explained that school counsellors were chosen because they are often the first professionals students are referred to when behavioural issues arise.
“At least in every government school, we have a counsellor. When a child becomes unruly, teachers usually refer such a child to a counsellor. That informed our decision to focus on empowering counsellors,” he said.
According to him, 20 counsellors were selected from each of Lagos State’s six educational districts, bringing the total number of participants to 120.
The training was organised in collaboration with experts, including officials from the Drug Demand Reduction Department of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other substance abuse professionals.
Tejuosho said many participants had already started applying what they learned by recognising warning signs of substance abuse that they had previously overlooked.
“The counsellors are very excited. Many of them have already begun identifying signs they previously did not understand. They are now better equipped to respond immediately when they return to their schools,” he added.
The programme covered four key areas: prevention, early identification, counselling and referral systems. Tejuosho stressed the importance of ensuring counsellors know where to seek professional help when cases go beyond what they can manage.
“If a counsellor identifies a student with a substance abuse problem and it is beyond what they can manage, they need to know where to refer such a case. That referral pathway is very important,” he said.
He also linked substance abuse to rising insecurity and other social problems, calling for stronger collaboration among government, communities and stakeholders to address the issue.
“We need to do more. Drug abuse is a silent pandemic. Government, society, and stakeholders must intensify efforts to combat the menace of substance abuse in our communities,” he said.
One of the facilitators, Pastor Olugbenga Taiwo, said his session focused on ethics, safeguarding and confidentiality in counselling. He noted that while counsellors are expected to keep students’ information confidential, they have a duty to disclose information if a child’s safety is at risk.
Taiwo added that the training would help counsellors identify early signs of substance abuse and intervene before students become involved in drug use.
“A well-equipped counsellor will be able to guide students to make the right choices. The aim is to prevent young people from experimenting with drugs and help those already exposed to return to the right path,” he said.
One of the participants, Comrade Counsellor Kayode Christopher of Muslim Senior College, described the training as informative and beneficial.
“This programme has been very important, engaging, fascinating, and informative. I have learned new concepts about drugs and substance abuse that I had never heard before,” he said.
Christopher advised students to resist peer pressure and avoid drug use, stressing that prevention is far better than treatment. He also highlighted the lack of proper facilities for counsellors in many public schools.
“The majority of us do not even have offices in our schools. Some of us counsel students under trees, but we continue to do our best to guide and support them,” he said.
He further encouraged teachers to pay close attention to changes in students’ behaviour and refer those showing signs of substance abuse for early intervention.
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