Integrated Drug Control Priority Programme of Nigeria 2000 � 2004 in Support of the National Drug Control Master Plan

Budget: $800,000

Duration: 24 months

Project Description:

This project focuses on the vulnerability of youth and women to the related problems of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS in the various intervention institutions and communities. Through this project UNODC will pilot the implementation of a Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) strategy and support the prevention of youth drug abuse and HIV/AIDS in educational and prison institutions in Nigeria. In addition, drug abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention for women will be extended through cooperation with the programmes of partner organizations.

The major outputs of the project will include the following:

• Appropriate intervention institutions and communities selected
• Functional mechanisms in place for community-wide feedback
• Innovative and responsive preventive interventions provided by Project Implementing Partners (PIPs)
• Culturally appropriate and gender sensitive materials developed and utilized for education and communication with drug abusers and people living with AIDS (PLWA)
• Customized training modules and work aids produced, distributed and utilized
• Pool of skilled persons and groups available in institutions and communities for counselling, communication, education and rehabilitation services
• Strengthened referral system
• Functional learning groups formed among the various partners for mutual learning, experience exchange and documentation.

Other specific outputs will include: a booklet on the �Nigeria experience in integrated community-based rehabilitation (CBR) and Education in Drug Demand Reduction�, and a monograph series on �Women/Gender in integrated drug abuse/HIV prevention in Nigeria�.

Issues to be addressed

The project aims to address the following issues:

(a) The lack of resources and expertise of tertiary educational institutions in designing and implementing drug abuse/HIV/AIDS prevention activities
(b) The lack of post-release rehabilitation schemes for drug addicted prison inmates
(c) Non-integration of drug abuse prevention into the programmes of women�s development agencies and organizations
(d) The need to strengthen the role of community-based organizations (CBOs) in drug prevention activities
(e) The need to better utilize the capacities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in drug prevention
(f) The need for stronger and more efficient HIV/AIDS prevention action

Project Strategy and Institutional Arrangements

The project strategy includes the shared implementation role between UNODC and the Project Implementation Partners (PIPs). The PIPs are selected CBOs, NGOs, tertiary institutions and prisons, which will implement the projects through grant funds.
In the collaborative implementation of the Integrated Drug Control Priority Programme in Nigeria, UNODC will work with:

(a) Tertiary educational and reformatory/rehabilitation institutions (prisons)
(b) Women�s development agencies and organizations
(c) Community-based organizations (CBOs)
(d) non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
(e) Government agencies

Drug Control Objective, Immediate Objectives, and Activities

The overall objective of this project is to support the broad objective of the National Drug Master Plan, inter alia, to progressively reduce the drug problem in Nigeria as well as to continue to align national policies and strategies with international treaties and conventions of which Nigeria is a signatory.

This project aims at strengthening the capacity of participating tertiary educational institutions and Nigerian prisons within a partnership that makes for project sustainability. The project also aims at strengthening the capacities of CBOs and NGOs for integrated community-based drug abuse/HIV/AIDS education and the rehabilitation of drug addicted persons, andthose affected by drug abuse and PLWA. The project will give special attention to women and gender issues in the programmes of women�s development agencies and organizations.

Immediate Objective 1:
A) To initiate integrated community-based drug abuse/HIV/AIDS prevention and rehabilitation approaches in the programmes of CBOs and other agencies or organizations, starting with two communities.
B) To empower target groups (drug dependent persons) with skills enabling them to undertake income-generating activities in two communities.

Output 1.1: Two project communities selected for integrated community-based partnership for drug demand reduction in Nigeria, following expert assessments by February 2003.

Output 1.2: Community-based advisory and implementation structures functional and executing project activities in the communities by March 2003.

Output 1.3: Innovative and responsive integrated Preventive Awareness Campaigns (PAC), Preventive Drug/HIV/AIDS Education (PD/HE) and rehabilitation interventions implemented in the communities by June 2003.

Output 1.4: Functional community-based groups actively providing counselling, education, rehabilitation and support services to primary beneficiaries in the communities by September 2003.

Output 1.5: Functional referral and follow-up system built into the work of peer educators, village health workers and support groups for drug abusers and PLWA (starting with the pilot) by January 2004.

Output 1.6: At least 10 target groups re-oriented and engaged in staple crop farming (for example, soybeans or cassava farming) for income-generation activities in the communities by June 2004.

Output 1.7: Private sector investment in the small and medium-scale industrial processing and marketing of farm crop products for both local and international community utilization by August 2004.

Output 1.8: Increased employment and income base of the local population in communities (especially the project beneficiaries) by November 2004.

Immediate Objective 2:
To strengthen the integration of youth drug abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention in six tertiary educational institutions and six state prison directorates in Nigeria.

Output 2.1: Baseline data and information available on the drug abuse and HIV/AIDS situation, the status of existing drug demand reduction and HIV/AIDS prevention strategies, facilities for the health, social and emotional support to youth in universities and prisons by April 2003.

Output 2.2: Effective institutional structures and systems in universities and prisons for implementing the project activities by May 2003.

Output 2.3: Functional drug abuse/HIV/AIDS prevention education, counselling and support services available at student affairs departments and the health/medical centres of the six universities and six facilities/schemes for the rehabilitation of drug abuse/PLWA youth in prisons by July 2003.

Output 2.4: A scripted drama (booklet) for stage performance developed and focussed on the theme �Societal Liabilities and Assets � the Dialectics of Persons Living and Affected by Drug Abuse/HIV/AIDS�, by November 2003.

Output 2.5: Pool of skilled persons and groups available in the project communities to provide counselling, treatment and rehabilitation services in the educational institutions and the prison units, such as peer educators, drug abuse prevention education counsellors and others by February 2004.

Immediate Objective 3:
To promote the integration of drug abuse/HIV/AIDS prevention education initiatives in women in development and gender and development programmes of women�s development agencies and organizations in Nigeria.

Output 3.1: Expert report on community assessment of women and drug abuse; extent of integration into the programmes of government development agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) by March 2003.

Output 3.2: Reports of the regional workshops and the updated plans of action of the participating agencies and organizations (especially those of potential partners) by June 2003

Output 3.3: Innovative and gender sensitive drug abuse intervention integrated and implemented as part of the programmes of women�s development agencies and organizations by September 2003.

Output 3.4: Identify women leaders in each state to form a Nigerian policy advocacy/lobby league of �Women�s Voice against Drug Abuse�, by December 2003

Immediate Objective 4:
To build the capacity of the implementing partners in the development of cultural and gender sensitive training. Information, education and communication materials on integrated drug abuse/HIV/AIDS prevention in the focal institutions and communities will be produced.

Output 4.1: Training curricula/modules and work aid developed/adapted, standardized, published, distributed and utilized for training of beneficiaries in the institutions and communities by September 2003.

Output 4.2: A variety of cultural and gender sensitive information, education and communication materials developed/adapted, produced and distributed in the project implementing partner institutions and communities by November 2003.

Output 4.3: Appropriate and youth-sensitive information, education and communication materials (integrating drug abuse prevention and STD/HIV/AIDS prevention), developed, produced and distributed in the project tertiary educational and prison institutions by April 2004.

Output 4.4: Preliminary document produced of �The Nigerian Experience: CBR and Education in Integrated Drug Demand Reduction�, by October 2004.

Output 4.5: Booklets/monograph series produced on �Women and Gender in Integrated Drug Abuse/HIV/AIDS Prevention in Nigeria: Programming for Success�, by November 2004

Immediate Objective 5:
To strengthen the skills of health workers in primary and secondary level health care facilities. This includes teaching integrated drug abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention and counselling in the focal institutions and communities.

Output 5.1: At least 24 village health workers are equipped with skills in integrated drug abuse/HIV/AIDS prevention education, counselling and referral in the selected communities by April 2004.

Output 5.2: At least 60 professional health workers and counsellors selected from the tertiary educational and prison institutions are equipped with skills. They should provide regular integrated drug abuse/HIV/AIDS counselling and support services to clients by June 2004.

Output 5.3: At least 600 health workers selected from primary and secondary level health facilities are equipped/updated with the skills and are providing integrated drug abuse/HIV/AIDS counselling, education and support services by July 2004.

Expected End-of-Project Situation

By the end of the project, integrated community-based approaches on sustainable preventive drug abuse/HIV/AIDS education, preventive awareness campaigns and rehabilitation of CBOs and other agencies/organizations programmes will have been tested and successfully implemented. More specifically:

• Twenty youth trained in integrated drug abuse/HIV/AIDS prevention for peer counselling, education, referral and follow-up support.
• Community-based support group for drug abusers and PLWA set up and trained.
• An �enter-educate� troupe established in communities.
• Ten to 20 people trained in agricultural techniques in each community and another group will be trained in other income-generating activities.
• In each community 12 volunteer health workers will be trained in education, treatment and rehabilitation of drug abusers and PLWA.
• Six hundred volunteer health workers equipped with skills for drug abuse and HIV/AIDS counselling, education and support services.
• Plan of action for organizations updated to better integrate the drug abuse and HIV/AIDS dimensions in their programmes.
• Female leader identified in each state to participate in the national league/partnership for policy advocacy in Nigeria.
• One hundred student volunteers trained as drug abuse/HIV/AIDS prevention peer educators in six universities.
• Twenty drug abuse monitors selected and trained in universities to report drug abuse issues in the university environment.
• Each of the selected universities have a functioning drug-free club.
• Fifty inmate volunteers trained as drug abuse/HIV/AIDS prevention peer educators in the six selected prisons.
• A drug-free club/vanguard will be set up in prisons. The members will serve as drug abuse monitors, reporting on drug abuse issues.

Project Risks and Assumptions

Unexpected and uncontrolled socio-political upheavals that may have religious, ethnic and economic dimensions may delay or hinder project implementation and the timely attainment of the expected results. Another risk may be the lack of co-operation between the government, NGOs, university authorities, collaborating United Nations agencies in-country and local experts in project implementation.

There are several assumptions made in this project. These include:
(a) That the Nigerian Government is committed to the implementation of the National Drug Control Master Plan using the strategies adopted in the document.
(b) UNODC will fund the hiring of the project co-ordinator, a national technical adviser, a secretary and a driver to oversee project implementation, and support the PIPs with grants to implement project activities in response to the local needs.
(c) That the PIPs are committed to the implementation of the project activities and are willing to maintain an open and transparent management of the project that will optimize the available technical assistance to ensure effective project performance.
(d) UNODC will ensure that project funds are made available for timely implementation of all planned activities to facilitate achievements of the expected results and attainment of project synergy.
(e) In conjunction with UNODC policy and procedure, appropriate project revisions or changes of direction will be initiated at field level in consultation with UNODC headquarters.


Back to projects page.