THE RISING CASE OF BRAIN DISORDER AMONG YOUTH. A Case study of Agege, Lagos State

THE RISING CASE OF BRAIN DISORDER AMONG YOUTH.

A Case study of Agege, Lagos State

Agege is one the ancients cities of Lagos which covers Iju, Ishaga, Alagbado and some part of Ikeja before It was reduced to what it is now. Today, all he above mentioned places has been carved out of Agege to form another local governments at the time Lagos increases in population and economy. Statistically, Agege is said to be almost 250,000 populated with the large settlement of the Hausas around Moricas/Alfa Nla, Kwakwa Uku and Mosalasi Alhaja all in Agege. Other tribes like the Igbos, Tapas, Nigers and more tribes were among the people that made up Agege. The old and the new Abeokuta motor road and the railway line that passed through  Agege to the northern part of the country are some of the factors that thumbs up Agege economy especially at the time the rail system s at its optimal function in the country. The Aworis are believed to be the first habitats of Agege and their mainstay is the ancient area like Orile Agege, Isale Oja and Atobaje. Agege has two paramont kings which are oba of Orile Agege who exercise his domineering across Orile Agege and oba of Agege who is incharge of Agege respectively.

The major issue that warranted the above historical exposition is the increament of brain disorder among youth in Lagos State and Agege in particular. A walk from Oja oba down to Agege Pen cinema and other places in Agege will make you see nothing less than different five youth mainly boys with brain disorder. A close observation on the cause of this menace was the heavy consumption of assorted illicit drugs that include mainly India hemp, amphetamine and heroin which later resulted into addiction and brain disorder.

In one area called Oke-Koto for instance,many of the hausa boys both rich and pior were addicted to substances that refered to as volatile substances or oinhalant which could be fume from petrol, glue, gum, chemicals and codeine in some medicines.They inhale these substances directly or pour them on pieces of clothing which they put over their nose and inhale. They also pour the substance on water proof bag.

Another substance which is cheaper and commonly used as drug among the youth of this area is the lizard excrement. One of them who is under care after a minor brain disorder told us that lizard excrement when mixed with Alabukun powder and Robin Blue produces a strong effect similar to the one produced by a heavy consumption of whisky. According to one online expert, the white portion of the dropping (the lizard excrement) is a killer drug. When inhaled or taken orally They caused rise in blood levels, producing an effect akin to the intensity produced also resembles inebriation. The effect of these drugs when taken by these boys is either abnormal calmness, dazzing for almost  one hour nuisance or brain disorder.

The price of drugs due to its abuse around this area especially with medicine with codeine has seriously gone up. Cough syrup like benylin and totolin as they called it was sold between 600-900 naira instead of 200-300 naira. The pharmacists around this area don’t just sell these drugs to anybody except those who used it to “high” themselves. Many of these boys will shook the bottles of these and drink the whole bottles right in front of the pharmacy in most cases. Some of them takes as many as five bottles on daily basis.

Differently, the Yoruba boys of this area who are drug addicted are famous with India hemp, alcohol and heroin. The peddling of these drugs around AP petrol station, Isale Oja, Akerele, Total petrol station and many other places makes the assessment easier for these youths especially the commercial bus drivers among them. Many of these boys, in fashion out their own way of being addicted, soaks India hemp inside high alcoholic volume whisky before consumption. Some of them goes for heroin and they even go to the extent of stealing if they don’t have money to buy it which is between 500-1500 naira per wrap. Examples of not less that thirty men and fifteen women around AP petrol station  and Akerele (the place where the drug peddling is rampant in Agege) who has either completely ran mad or semi-mad testifies to the affirmation of drug addiction as the major cause of insanity among the youths of this area.

On the other things which the drug does to the system, the drug affects the reward system of the brain to the extent that when the drug addicted person don’t get  the drug, it begins to affect them. To satisfy their drug addiction ego, they takes up other substance that is cheaper to the one they used to. So this exposed many of them to the consumption of multiple substances which ranged from cocaine, heroin, codeine, cannabis and alcohol at the same time. This according to the experts makes the drug addicts person vulnerable to brain problems.

In averting this menace, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) despite the existing laws that restrain people from abusing drugs should intestify more effort on orientation for these youths the Lagos state government should also makes use of direct campaign against drug abusing to compliment its media campaign. The society and the religious leaders of where drug abuse rampant in the state should engage these youths and make them understand the negative effect of drug addiction and abuse. If all these  are not done on time, there is possibility that Agege might soon top the list of the areas with the highest intoxicants because  everyday these youths come up with new and easy way to go about intoxicating themselves.