Lady Joins MTN ASAP Campaign After Losing Boyfriend To Codeine

A young woman, simply identified as Adeola, has joined the campaign against drug abuse after coming across a tweet by MTN on the Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP).

Adeola, a 23-year-old undergraduate, joined the campaign after she lost her boyfriend, to the controlled syrup, Codeine addiction.

MTN Nigeria through the MTN Foundation, in collaboration with a consortium of stakeholders, launched the ASAP initiative in December 2018 to curb first-time drug usage and addiction among young people.

A twitter user, @kaynaija, a friend of Adeola, had shared her story online.

He said the lady became detached from social activities after losing her boyfriend of over a year due to an overdose of codeine.

She had left her boyfriend one morning while he was about taking the popular cough syrup and a cup of coloured liquid.

She had kissed him goodbye on the morning of his death. In fact, he had smiled back at her before she left the young man’s house that fateful morning.

“His smile was everything!“, she said.

She has teased him about the drink as he laughed out of the door. “That was the worst decision of my life – to laugh and walk away!” Adeola said regrettably.

Her boyfriend was a talented artist whom she insisted was not addicted to the ‘drink’.

“He only drank it recreationally,” she said.

She passed out after finding out about his death.

Regret darkened her words as she explained that, “I should have taken that cup from him that morning. I would do anything to go back. Do you want to know what is worse than the searing pain that chokes you? Regret. Regret is horrible when you can do absolutely nothing about it.”

Now, she is prepared to help people before they get to the point of no return.

“So when I see people gather to do something about codeine or any other substance, I give them a silent nod, an acknowledgment that someone won’t go the way Nkem left.”

News of his death left her devastated until she stumbled on a tweet on the Anti Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP) by MTN and which has spurred her to tell her story and speak against drug abuse and addiction

They are trying to stop young Nigerians from experiencing the pain of substance abuse. “Hopefully, it helps others to share and speak up before something happens to people, they love.”, she finished.

MTN ASAP, which will run for six months, targets young Nigerians from age 10-25.

A dedicated microsite with an online representative has been trained to answer enquiries from the public on substance abuse, addiction, rehabilitation.