THE DANGERS OF DRUG ABUSE

Drug abuse is characterized by unrestrained drugs intake and uncontrolled drug consumption over a very long period of time. Drug abuse is also characterized by taking more than the recommended dose of prescription drugs such as barbiturates without medical supervision, or using government-controlled substances such as marijuana, cocaine, heroine, cannabis, opium or other illegal substances. Substances such as alcohol and nicotine are also abused by many people. The craving that drug abusers feel for their drugs can be as strong as the need for food and water. Such people continue to abuse drugs despite serious family, health, or legal problems that such people are facing. Drug abuse is not without its negative effects.

    Indiscriminate consumption of drugs leads to serious health problems. It can create kidney and liver damage. It also causes high blood pressure and even heart disease. These health situations can bring about serious depression and in some cases lead to death. Thousands of people die yearly in Nigeria of drug related causes. Studies also indicate that over 100,000 people die in the United States per year of drug related cases. Medical experts have said that drug abuse could induce Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in people. This means that excessive consumption of hard drugs can destroy the human immune system that guards one against certain infections.Also, individuals who abuse injectable drugs risk contracting HIV and hepatitis from needles shared with infected abusers. Many psychiatric diseases can be complicated by drug abuse. An individual who has slight mental disorder which has natural causes may complicate that disorder by constantly abusing drugs.

    One of the most dangerous effects of illegal drug use is the potential for over-dosing-that is, taking too strong a dose for the body’s system to handle. A drug over-dose may cause an individual to loose consciousness and breathe inadequately. Without treatment, an individual may die from a drug over-dose.

   Also, drug abuse destroys the youths. The youths are the leaders of tomorrow and the raw materials for any kind of social and economic transformation.However,indulging in extreme abuse renders them useless as their thoughts are directed towards the consumption of hard drugs such as cocaine cannabis marijuana Indian hemp others. The intake of such drugs is behind the increasing rate of armed banditry among the youths. Fragile looking youths become daring and ruthless after taking hard drugs and other strong stimulants. This brings about serious harm and losses.

     Drug abuse is one of the leading causes of accidents. Drug addicts who stuff themselves with a lot of drugs easily loose control and experience serious imbalance. As a result, while driving, they involve themselves in fatal accidents which normally results to the loss of their lives and the lives of innocent citizens.

     Drug abuse is a global evil and must be tackled in the interest of the society in general. There is the need to step up drug abuse campaigns by the government and private citizens. The youth must be enlightened on all the possible dangers of abusing drugs. Security efforts to detect and apprehend all illegal importers and users of hard drugs must be perfected. Religious organizations should also contribute to building a drug free society through sermons in our places of worship.Remember,a drug free society is a healthy society.

REFERENCE:

Alagbae, R. (2004); Dangers of Drug Abuse Among Youths; http://www.tigweb.org/youth-media/panorama/article.html?ContentID=4223 

Devine, J. (2009); The dangers of drug abuse, eZine: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Dangers-of-Drug-Abuse&id=1590020 

Buddy, T. (2007); The risks of alcohol and drug abuse: http://alcoholism.about.com/od/effect/u/Risks.htm 

Helpguide.org Drug abuse and addiction: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/drug_substance_abuse_addiction_signs_effects_treatment.htm

UNITY IN DIVERSITY: DIVERSITY IS POSITIVE FOR NIGERIA

Diversity refers to the experience of human differences and commonalities, it is an experience which is relevant and enriching if it is properly handled.Diversty is also defined as a commitment to recognizing and appreciating the variety of characteristics that make individuals unique in an atmosphere that promotes and celebrates individual and collective archievement.Examples of these characteristics are:age,cognitive style,culture,economic background,ethnicity,gender identity, geographic background, languages spoken, political affiliation,race,and religious beliefs(University of Tennessee Libraries Diversity committee, spring 2001;Revised January 2003).

      The society of human kind reconciles unity with diversity in human affairs because it must have both, if it is to have any realistic chance of achieving its aim. Indeed, the society goes so far as to identify diversity as both the cause and the purpose of human unity, as well as being the most valuable quality and characteristic of any viable human group.

Abdu’l-Baha in Paristalks says: 

“Differences which are only those of blood also cause them to destroy and kill one another. Alas! that this should still be so. Let us look rather at the beauty in diversity, the beauty of harmony and learn a lesson from the vegetable creation. If you beheld a garden in which all the plants were the same as to form,colour and perfume, it will not seem beautiful to you at all,but,rather,monotonous and dull. The garden which is pleasing to the eye and which makes the heart glad is the garden which are growing side by side, flowers of every hue, form and perfume, and the joyous contrast of color is what makes for charm and beauty. So is it with trees. An orchard full of fruit trees is a delight; so is a plantation plant with many species of shrubs. It is just the diversity and variety that constitutes its charm; each flower, each tree, each fruit, besides being beautiful in itself, brings out by contrast the qualities of others, and shows to advantage the special loveliness of each and all”

   Nigeria is a heterogeneous society with diverse and complex ethnic, economic, cultural, linguistic, religious and social realities. Nigeria has a population of about 150 million people, more than 250 ethnic groups, and about 400 dialects. The three major linguistic groups in Nigeria are: Hausa, Yoruba and Ibo. Subsumed in these three major ethnic groups are many minority groups. In order to be successful, people from these various ethnic groups must unite to explore their positive potentials for the good of the nation the positive potentials of diversity need to be tapped to transform our great nation. Valuing our differences convert such differences into a huge success.

     Diversity can be a positive tool for the promotion of social, economic, cultural and political development of our country if it is properly managed. Cultural diversity has been defined as the representation, in one social system, of people with distinctly different group affiliations of cultural significance (Cox, 1993).Incorporating the cultural values and aspirations of different ethnic groups, while also bringing a common ground where various groups can interchange their cultural heritage with each other. Such cultural exchanges could result in an increase in national consciousness and nation building.

     Economically, if diversity is properly handled, Nigeria will have a competitive advantage in the global market. Nigeria has enormous natural resources that we could harness and expose to the global market, thereby generating revenue for our dear nation. It is true that abundant mineral resources ranging from gold, coal iron ore, granite, diamond and special food items that are unique to the different geographical locations of our country can be showcased to the world. This is possible only when we understand the need for unity in diversity..

    Politically, great political minds can be traced from different sections of the country among members of the various ethnic groups. this is only possible if we are able to bring sectional political marginalization to a halt through the recognition of the positivity of unity in diversity.Therefore, if justice will be guaranteed in our political system, competent leaders will emerge from any part of the country to ensure political excellence. By so doing, the positive aspect of diversity in case of leadership will be achieved.

 Queen Amina of Zaria (Zau Zau)

   As a result of diversity, Nigeria is made up of three principal religions: Islam, Christianity and African traditional religion. All religions canvass the acquisition of knowledge, justice, and fairness in the conduct of worldly affairs, including honesty, transparency, and service to mankind.So,if only members of these religions will unite and utilize the positive values of these religions, Nigeria will be an attractive society that will be the envy of  other countries.

   Unity in diversity is the highest possible attainment of a civilization, a testimony to the noblest possibilities of the human race. This attainment is made possible through passionate concern for choice in an atmosphere of social trust. Nigeria is filled with people who possess wondrous diversity of experiences, opinions, physical appearance, cultures, and religions. One of the challenges of Nigerians is not only to find a way to live in harmony with people that differ from us, but to celebrate our diversity and learn from it. We can only learn a limited amount from those who are like us but there is a fortune of new knowledge to be gained from those who have a different perspective to our own.

     Finally, Nigerians must learn to articulate a general human interest that transcends the particularistic interests of ethnicity, culture, and geographical location in order to move our country forward give it a positive outlook.

Reference:

 Renee Bridgeford Esq. (2003), Cultrual Diversity in Nigeria: Perculiraities of Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo; http://magazine.biafranigeriaworld.com/rbridgeford/2003jan10.html

Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism (1996); Cultural Policy in Nigeria; http://www.wwcd.org/policy/clink/Nigeria.html

 Obono O. (2009); Cultural Diversity and Population Policy in Nigeria; http://www.jstor.org/pss/3092736

Nigeria: Culture and Tourism; http://www.nigeriaembassyusa.org/culture1.shtml

TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE CEREMONY AMONG THE KAGOMAS'

The Kagoma people live in the southern part of Kaduna state.Kaduna state is located in the North-west region of Nigeria. The Kagoma people are very ceremonious; they celebrate every pleasant event, from birth to death of the old. In addition, they are very religious, peaceful and lively.

    Marriage is one of the important ceremonies in Kagoma land. The people are traditionally monogamous, except for a handful that practice polygamy. Three stages are involved in marriage among my people (the Kagomas’).These stages include: the pre-ceremony stage, the introduction and the actual marriage ceremony.

     The first step occurs when a man sees a lady of his choice. This is in form of courtship. At this stage, the man expresses his love to the lady. If she concurs, the relationship starts between the two. The Kagoma tradition values courtship. As such, the elders of the land always emphasize the need for adults to observe a period of courtship as it will help them to unravel their strengths and weaknesses and will give them the opportunity to know if they can accommodate the weaknesses they notice about each other before marriage. At this stage, the man is supposed to show a sign of respect and commitment by giving the lady’s family a helping hand on the farm, once in while.

       The next stage is the formal introduction. This is very important as it will determine whether the marriage will take place or not. The introduction is done in order to seek the consent of the would-be-spouse’s parents. In this case, the man’s parents are accompanied by two or three trusted friends to meet with the lady’s parents. They carry along with them, three cocks, fifty pieces of kola nut and a keg of palm wine. The man’s parents introduce themselves and their trusted friends. After that, the bride’s parents welcome them formally. The man’s parents declare their intention and express their son’s desire. At this point, if the girl’s parents agree, they will accept the gifts brought by the man’s parents and then fix a date for the actual marriage ceremony collectively. When the date is fixed, the man’s parents will confirm the extent of financial commitment expected from them. The man’s parents will then pay the dowry, an amount of money requested from them by the lady’s parents which must be accompanied by a bag of salt. The salt will be shared among neighbors and well wishers so as to seek for their blessings.

           The actual marriage ceremony holds at the village square where all willing villagers gather to rejoice with the bride and the groom. At the village square, the bride and groom are introduced formally to the villagers by the village head. After the introduction, the bride and the groom are invited to the center of the square to dance in order to express their joy. Thereafter, the parents of both the bride and the groom are also invited to dance. This depicts unity between the two families. After dancing, the bride’s parents bless their daughter and formally hands her over to the groom, who receives her with joy along with his parents in the presence of the villagers who traditionally serve as witnesses. At this stage, she leaves her parents to sit very close to the groom and his parents. This automatically shows that she now belongs to a new home and has taken the position of a wife.

            A special delicacy of cassava and groundnut soup garnished with varieties of bush meat is served to every villager present. This kind of delicacy is prepared because cassava and groundnut are the major farm produce in Kagoma land, and the Kagoma people are known for their brave hunting expeditions. The delicacy is normally accompanied by palm wine. At this stage, eating is accompanied by intense drumming and singing by the villagers. As soon as the traditional marriage is over, the bride and the groom consummate the marriage.

        Marriage is highly respected and valued by my people (the Kagomas’).As a result, any man or woman who has attained the marriage age is expected to get married. People who refuse to get married are considered as weaklings and irresponsible members of the Kagoma ethnic group.

        

References: BIDALE ONLINE - Create Post

Cassava: Wikipedia online encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava

Polygamy in Nigeria;  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygamy_in_Nigeria

Economy of Nigeria;  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Nigeria

Nigeria - Marriages In Nigeria; family.jrank.org/pages/.../Nigeria-Marriages-in-Nigeria.html

Kaduna state; Nigeria;en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaduna_State