The International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR) in Nigeria: Background. Activities, Challenges and Prospects

Authors

1.Prof. Michael Ezenwa (⚑ Nigeria) 1

1. NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

The paper examined the historical background and activities of the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR) in Nigeria. It noted the various achievements of the organisation including membership drive and expansion, advocacy for policy improvement for drug demand reduction, support to universities in substance use prevention measures, collaboration between members of ICUDDR and International Society of substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) in Nigeria, initiation of postgraduate Addiction Intervention programmes in some Nigerian universities as well as curriculum development support for the establishment of Addiction Intervention graduate programme in another African Country.

The presentation also x-rays some of the challenges that currently confront the organisation in Nigeria. These include inter alia, lack of mutual synergic integration of the various leadership levels in the continent with obvious negative impacts on agenda setting, performance evaluation, supervision and feedback mechanisms. In addition, the lack of legal status of ICUDDR and zero budgetary provision for ICUDDR in Nigeria adversely limit its operations and the extent to which members can commit themselves to the activities of ICUDDR in the country, a situation that predicts a bleak future for the organisation if the extant situation remains.

With respect to the prospects of the organisation in Nigeria, the paper calls on the present viable international leadership and the Board of the organisation to inject some paradigm shifts in line with the foregoing in the administration of ICUDDR in Nigeria and perhaps elsewhere to harness the intrinsic motivation of members of the organisation in Nigeria to achieve more noble goals of ICUDDR.