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Our Youths And The Surging Drug Culture: One Hit is Too Much and a Thousand is Not Enough
By Austin Okere
Nigerian reggae legend Majek Fashek dies at 57; was the screaming headline on BBC.com on June 02. Fashek died in his sleep on 2 June 2020 in New York City. He was 57 and was battling esophageal cancer, while also known to be suffering from drug addiction.
Initially going by the stage name Rajesh Kanal, Fashek began his career as part of the trio Jastix before releasing his breakout solo hit in Nigeria, 1988’s ‘Send Down The Rain’, and its parent album ‘Prisoner Of Conscience’.
There is this myth that drugs enhance artistic inspiration. Even if there were so, it would be more correlative than causative since no study results that confines inspiration to drug consumption.
I wrote this article three years ago in October 2017, and it seems that not much has changed since then. What can we do to save or youth from the scourge of drugs?
I feel deeply compelled to write about this growing phenomenon of drugs and our youths. Much as I could join in playing the proverbial ostrich and draw false comfort by burying my head in the sand, I choose to call it out the way it is. This compulsion is deepened by the recent happenings in our promising Youth Music scene, with the deaths of three young people in just five days in Lagos, Nigeria.
Return To The 60’s Drug & Pop Culture?
It seems that we are speedily careening into the crazy drug & pop culture of the sixties fueled by a newfound liberalism, epitomized by Bands such as the Beetles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, and such icons as Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, Fela Kuti et al.
In more recent climes, there have been notable drug casualties; Whitney Houston, more lovingly referred to as ‘The Voice’ for her incredible talent, was found dead in her bath at the Beverly Hilton Hotel after a cocaine overdose. Ironically, this happened on the eve of the Grammy Awards at the same hotel, she was just 48 years old. Her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, just 22, died a few months later while in hospice care. She too was found unresponsive in a bathtub in her Georgia home after a drug overdose.
41-year-old Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, who had spoken about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction was found dead apparently by suicide, by an employee in his private residence. His close friend, singer Chris Cornell also killed himself just before his 53rd birthday. Purple Rain singer, Roger Nelson, best known as Prince died of an opioid overdose in an elevator at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota, aged just 59.
There are scores of others, not nearly as popular, but nonetheless part of the growing statistics of those who have succumbed to the ugly scourge of hard drugs.
Drugs Always Have The Superior Power Of Addiction
“One hit is too much and a thousand is not enough” these were the words of a pretty, young woman miraculous saved from the clutches of drug addiction and featured on the Jubilee edition of Turning Point, a testimonial TV series. Undoubtedly, one of the very lucky few. She just wanted to try it out of curiosity and experimentation; and then again and again until it became a controlling habit.
Once you yield, you yield total control. Drugs always have the superior power of addiction, as has been proven time and again. There is a hard drug variety called Crystal Meth, where just one hit gets you totally hooked and has an accelerated path to mental destruction and painful death. As if this is not bad enough, Fentanyl is said to be far worse, and 50 times more potent than heroin.
Drugs Could Kill The Huge Potential Of Millennials
I see millennials as great architects of our future. That fearless generation at ease with technology & entrepreneurship, and fostering relationships across all divides regardless of race, nationality or class.
It is this same fearless adventurism that makes them the perfect target for hard drug experimentation and eventual dependency. This is not helped by the so-called mythical concept of a ‘Legal High’ and other such deceptive tags on hard drugs; whether they be cannabis or crystal meth. They all have the same destructive potential.
The mulling of legalizing marijuana in many countries in the developed world bodes a potential ill wind. It could massively affect our youth and destroy our collective future.
Do Not Be In A Rush To Send Off Your Kids
We need to be a bit skeptical about sending children away from our sphere of influence too early in their development. Should there be a need, it should be when they have attained sufficient maturity to stand on their own and have become comfortable in their own skins.
Many children sent overseas at great financial sacrifice by their parents for ‘superior’ education have run into trouble under the influence. Many have been rusticated from their schools with their parents none the wiser. They keep carrying on as if they are still in school, sinking deeper and deeper into bad company and ill influence until it is virtually too late for redemption.
It is expedient to insist on the school report of your ward detailing their progress in learning and character, and their current “Student Status” before wiring off next term’s fees. This is not a task to be delegated.
Watch Out! The Scourge is Here Too
On a note of caution, however, it is not only in these climes of relative wealth that drug abuse among the youth is rampant. The scourge has also become pervasive in erstwhile transit countries on the west coast of Africa. Children as young as in secondary schools (aged 16 years and below) have free access to drugs and do use them frequently to the blissful ignorance of parents and guardians. Youth Parties and Concerts tend to be high indulgent centers
Beware Of Over-The-Counter Drugs Too
The amount of “ordinary looking” over the counter drugs that kids are popping to alter moods is shocking. The popular Anna Nicole Smith died from a prescription drug overdose at the Hardrock Hotel in Hollywood. Legendary king of pop, Michael Jackson, suffered the same fate.
A False Sense Of Invincibility
There is, unfortunately, a sense of invincibility or false confidence about these kids; it cannot happen to me, notwithstanding the contrary evidence out there. How do we help our youth and especially the millennials guard against this scourge?
Perhaps we should be closer to our children and note any changes in behaviour that should alarm us. Talk with them regarding their friends, and make every effort to meet them. Create an environment where they can come to us in times of perplexity when they need to talk to someone. If we abdicate this responsibility, the vacuum created will be occupied by other influences, not the least peer pressure.
Friendship With Our Children Should Be Complemented By Parenting
We need to create time to play our parental roles and imbue into our children a moral compass with which they can properly navigate their way in life. Show by example rather than just talking; because children are extremely perceptive and tend to more easily copy our vices than following our advice.
We should all join hands in taking drastic steps to tackle this problem before it consumes our children and our future. America has taken a step by declaring an emergency on this opioid crisis. Perhaps the time has come for us to come up with our own action plan.
Austin Okere is the Founder of CWG Plc, the largest Security in the Technology sector of the Nigerian Stock Exchange & Entrepreneur in Residence at CBS, New York. Austin also serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Business School Network, and on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Innovation and Intrapreneurship. Austin now runs the Ausso Leadership Academy focused on Business and Entrepreneurial Mentorship for Shared Prosperity.
Cybercrime has emerged as a dominant security concern across Africa, with more than 30 percent of all reported crimes in Western and Eastern regions linked to cyber activity, according to the newly released 2025 Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report by INTERPOL.
The report, based on data from African member states and private sector partners, reveals that two-thirds of surveyed countries describe cybercrime as constituting a medium to high share of total criminal cases.
This highlights how cyber-enabled criminal activity is evolving rapidly across the continent. The report identified alarming spikes in scam attempts, with some countries witnessing a 3,000 percent increase in suspected scam notifications in the past year.
Neal Jetton, INTERPOL’s Cyber Crime Director, warned that the threat landscape is evolving faster than enforcement responses.
“This fourth edition of the INTERPOL African Cyber Threat Assessment provides a vital snapshot of the current situation, informed by operational intelligence, extensive law enforcement engagement, and strategic private-sector collaboration.
“It paints a clear picture of a threat landscape in flux, with emerging dangers like AI-driven fraud that demand urgent attention. No single agency or country can face these challenges alone,” Jetton stated.
In the past year, suspected scam notifications rose by up to 3,000 per cent in some African countries, according to data from Kaspersky, one of several private sector partners that work with INTERPOL’s cybercrime directorate
Online scams, particularly through phishing, are the most frequently reported cybercrimes across the continent. Ransomware attacks and Business Email Compromise (BEC) incidents are also increasing, particularly in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt.
“Ransomware detections in Africa also rose in 2024, with South Africa and Egypt suffering the highest number, at 17,849 and 12,281 detections respectively, according to data from Trend Micro, followed by other highly digitised economies such as Nigeria (3,459) and Kenya (3,030),” it stated.
Incidents included attacks on critical infrastructure, such as a breach at Kenya’s Urban Roads Authority (KURA), and on government databases, such as hacks of Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the report stated.
The manufacturers of the world’s first malaria vaccine are set to slash the price by more than half by 2028 to less than$5 per dose.
The manufacturers of the shot, known as RTS,S, said a phased reduction in cost would begin immediately, with an ultimate aim to reduce the price to less than $5.
The announcement could hardly come at a more critical moment.
Gavi, a major vaccination initiative which funds immunisations in the world’s poorest countries, is facing a major budget crunch.
In Brussels on Wednesday, Gavi’s replenishment event raised $9 billion to fund immunisation programmes over the next five years. While this sounds like a huge sum, it’s significantly less than the $11.9bn the group had been aiming for.
Governments around the world are cutting development spending dramatically.
The UK, for instance, cut its contribution to Gavi by 40 per cent in real terms, telling The Telegraph it was prioritising defence, while the US has pledged nothing at all.
Though America previously gave Gavi roughly $300m a year, the country’s new health secretary claimed without evidence that the organisation was ignoring vaccine safety.
The announcement from the British pharmaceutical giant GSK and Indian drugmaker Bharat Biotech will therefore be a relief to those trying to balance the books.
In a statement the companies said the price reduction demonstrated their “commitment to Gavi”, and was “driven by process improvements, expanded production capacity, cost-effective manufacturing, and minimal profit margins”.
By the time the price has fallen to below $5 per dose, a technology transfer agreement means Bharat will have taken over production, though GSK will continue to supply the adjuvant piece of the shot.
“For us, this is more than a cooperation, it’s a promise,” said Dr Krishna Ella, executive chairman of Bharat Biotech International Limited.
“By joining forces with GSK, and working closely with Gavi, and the WHO [World Health Organization], we are taking a real step toward closing the gap between vaccine supply and the urgent needs of children at risk of malaria.”
Each year, malaria still kills 500,000 people – the vast majority of them children aged five and under in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to WHO estimates, cases and deaths fell significantly between 2000 and 2015, but progress has since stalled.
Some have high hopes that RTS,S, as well as another vaccine called R21 developed by Oxford University, could prove critical in efforts to turn the tide.
In clinical trials, RTS,S reduced hospitalisations for severe malaria by 30 per cent.
But critics say the shot is too expensive and not as effective as existing tools, such as bed nets and antimalarials.
The reduction in price will bring it more in line with the cost of R21, which is priced at around $4 per dose.
Yet the cost will still add up, as both jabs require multiple shots. For RTS,S, this means four doses – the first three doses are given monthly, starting around five months of age, while the fourth dose is administered 15-18 months later.
Both jabs “provide reasonable short term efficacy – over about a year – so are a useful addition to other measures,” said Professor Nick White, a professor at the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit who specialises in malaria.
“In the past GSK had limited production capacity – one of the reasons the R21 was developed. So reducing the price will be good and the two comparable vaccines can fight it out in the market place.”
A spokesperson for Gavi said the alliance’s goal is to “create sustainable demand backed by predictable financing so that companies – like GSK and Bharat – can continue investing in technology transfer and other efficiencies that bring down costs, thus making critical vaccines more available and affordable.
GSK’s decision to lower its prices, the spokesperson added, is “an important step for the global malaria vaccination programme, and our ability to make this lifesaving tool more widely available to those who need it the most”.
Gavi plans to help fund RTS,S in 12 African countries by the end of this year.
Previously, GSK has said it will supply up to 18 million vaccine doses between 2023 and the end of this year.
The company plans to supply 15 million doses annually from 2026-2028, a spokesperson told Reuters.
Rack Centre, West Africa’s Tier III carrier- and cloud-neutral data centre, has struck a collocation agreement with TelCables Nigeria, an Angola Cables subsidiary.
TelCables Nigeria is delivering its high-capacity network and cloud infrastructure, as well as four international subsea cable systems (SACS, MONET, SEBRAS, and EllaLink), directly into Rack Centre’s regional carrier ecosystem as part of the agreement.
According to Angola Cables, the move provides reliable, low-latency south-bound routes to Europe, the Americas, and Latin America, reducing the danger of future cable disruptions along West Africa’s coast and enabling next-generation cloud services across the continent.
“Our unique Africa – to – Latin America route via SACS, combined with MONET, SEBRAS and EllaLink, gives customers the lowest – latency paths to the Americas and Europe,” said Fernando Fernandes, CEO of TelCables Nigeria.
“Businesses in latency sensitive sectors: financial services, content delivery and real-time communications will experience faster transactions, reduced lag and an enhanced user experience.
“By hosting at Rack Centre we also localise Clouds2Africa resources, price them in naira, and remove expensive ingress/egress charges or FX exposure.”
Rack Centre said its 13.5MW data centre campus designed with its recently launched LGS2 facility that delivers a design PUE of 1.35 and powered from sustainable energy sources, already hosts 70+ carriers, ISPs and network operators.
Lars Johannisson, CEO of Rack Centre, commented: “Adding a global operator of Angola Cables’ calibre through TelCables Nigeria dramatically deepens our connectivity fabric.
“We can now offer 99.95 % SLA routes to more destinations, enabling enterprises, governments and cloud providers to meet performance and data-residency requirements while keeping traffic local.”
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