By Amos Aar
THE COALITION of Northern Groups (CNG) has warned that drug abuse, hate speech and campus disunity pose serious threats to Nigeria’s future, urging students to embrace responsible leadership, positive values and mentorship.
The warning was issued on Friday during a one-day public lecture organised by the Students’ Wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG-SW), Benue State Chapter, at the Faculty of Law auditorium of the Moses Orshio Adasu University Makurdi (MOUAM).
The lecture, themed: “Building Responsible Student Leadership: Combating Drug Abuse, Thuggery, Hate Speech and Campus Disunity Through Positive Values and Mentorship,” attracted students, academics, traditional rulers and civic leaders from within and outside the university.
Welcoming participants, the North Central Zonal Coordinator of CNG-SW, Comrade Yoosu Kenneth, said the programme was designed to reawaken students’ sense of responsibility, noting that campuses remain critical spaces for shaping future leaders.
In his keynote address, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Benjamin Ahule, said leadership on campus is defined by influence and example rather than positions or titles. He stated that hate speech undermines unity and threatens peaceful coexistence within academic communities.
“Student leadership is not merely about holding positions or wearing titles. It is about influence, example and responsibility. Our campuses are incubators of ideas, values and leadership. What we allow to thrive today will shape the society we inherit tomorrow,” Ahule asserted.
He urged student leaders to institutionalise mentorship programmes, promote respectful communication and adopt non-violent approaches to resolving disputes on campus.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator of the Coalition of Northern Groups, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, described drug abuse as a moral, political and security crisis, warning that it fuels cultism, violence and insecurity.
“Drug abuse is not merely social misconduct; it is a political, moral and security crisis,” he said, cautioning against the use of substances such as tramadol, marijuana, cocaine, codeine and heroin, which he said impair judgment, cripple academic performance and leadership potential.
Charanchi further cautioned students against hate speech and identity-based politics, urging them to promote dialogue, justice and unity across ethnic and religious lines. He assured that the Coalition of Northern Groups would continue mentoring students, strengthening anti-drug campaigns and collaborating with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), security agencies and faith-based organisations to protect student welfare.
In a presentation on drug abuse, a Senior Lecturer at the university, Dr. Steve Terver Anyo, identified social media influence, experimentation, unemployment, poverty, peer pressure and declining family values as major drivers of substance abuse among youths. He stressed that mentorship and value reorientation, rather than treatment alone, are key to addressing the problem.
On hate speech and campus disunity, a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Dr. Tersoo Shaminja, said tolerating hate speech could produce graduates who are “intellectually trained but morally fragmented,” urging student leaders to promote inclusiveness and unity.
Representing the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Idoko Juliana, a Chief Superintendent of Narcotics at the NDLEA Benue State Command, urged parents and society to support collective discipline of youths to curb drug abuse and cautioned against excessive consumption of energy drinks.
In goodwill messages, the Ter Makurdi, HRH Vincent Aule, advised students to shun social vices, while the Chairman of the Benue State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Abubakar Adamu, urged students to remain focused on their studies.
The speakers were unanimous in their call on the students to apply the lessons learnt to promote peace, unity and responsible leadership on campuses.
