IMPACT OF DRUG TRAFFICKING AND ABUSE IN OUR NATION’S IMAGE, CONTENT ANALYSIS OF SELECTED INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL MEDIA CONTENTS ON NIGERIA.
ABSTRACT/PROPOSAL
I choose to write on Drug and trafficking because it has assumed a global concern, even in the sporting sphere, it is being questioned. The press has devoted lots of its spaces and airtime to attack the monster its impact is very disturbing and divesting without concerted efforts of all and sundry it may be a scourge that may threaten the entire world for the rest of this millennium and beyond. The phenomenon is a problem for youths everywhere nowadays, parents, teachers and neighbors to have problems with drugs, know many Nigerian adolescents many bright promising young boys and girls have been effected by drug abuse, the luckily once temporarily, the unfortunate once for long periods. Many adolescent are doing time in the prisons for engaging in drug trafficking. In spite of the above facts, this issue is not only peculiar to youths alone, some adults have found solace and fortunes in drug abuse and trafficking, and encouraged the young minds with their spurious financial backing as they serve as barons, this has constituted a great image problem with the crusading attacks from world press on this nation. This is why I inquisitively and painstakingly chose to bring out a well research work in a very lucid and practical manner.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of study
1.2 Statement of the research problem
1.3 Objective of the study
1.4 Significance of study
1.5 Research Questions
1.6 Research Hypothesis
1.7 Scope and Limitation of the study
1.8 Definition of Terms
CHAPTER TWO
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 The meaning of Drug Trafficking and Offence
2.2 Drug abuse trafficking Global Tends
2.3 Research for Drug trafficking
2.4 The effects of Drug Trafficking on the nation’s image
2.5 The effects of Drug Abuse on the Nation
2.6 The good intentions of government to drug control
And fight against drug trafficking
2.7 The Role of the media in the fight against
Drug abuse and trafficking
2.8 Eradication of Drug Trafficking
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 Methodology
4.0 3.1 Research Method
3.2 Research Design
3.3 Population sample
3.4 Measuring Instrument
3.5 Date collection
Reference
CHAPTER FOUR
5.0 Date Analysis and Results
4.1 Analysis of Demographics
4.2 Test of Hypotheses/Research Question
4.3 Results/AS in Appendix
4.4 Discussion
References
CHAPTER FIVE
6.0 Summary and Recinnebdatuibs
5.1 Summary
5.2 Recommendation for further study
Reference
Bibliography
Appendix
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The term drug scientifically denotes any substance other than food, which by its chemical nature and implication when taken affects the normal function of the living organism. This term may also include any number of household, industrial chemicals and even agricultural substances in other words, to physician; an abuse of the drug is inflammatory. Socially speaking, the reactions to the use of drugs are based on emotional responses rather than on factual information placing it in the right perspective.
Drug abuse could also denote the excess use or wrong of self-administration of drugs without the doctor’s prescription. This may have an effect on the central nervous system and so on the mind, mood, behaviors and eventually, the total health and personality of the individual.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria dates back to many years ego, in the colonial era, during their administration introduced many of educated
Nigerians into the taking of hard drugs like cocaine, heroine and the most common Indian hemp in consonance with the then manual labour in order to ginger them to put more and more of their efforts on the job.
Subsequently, drug trafficking began to spread even after the colonial masters left the country. Then in the two decades, it became a major economic activities among Nigeria who see the monetary gain of drug trafficking and then came the act of peddling in drugs for this monetary gain and some times for definite consumption which could be from one part of the country to another.
Consequently, the impact of this act of abuse of the drug or trafficking is as strong an impression on something and the stemma of being ear marked as a drug addict or peddler.
Against the negative implication of drug abuse and trafficking, the background of this study is aimed at assessing the impact of drug trafficking and abuse on a nation’s image – with particular content analysis of selected international and local media content on Nigeria.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
The Nigeria society has been crawling with all forms of social maladies. This ranges from picking pockets, cultism down to drug abuse and trafficking these activities of non – social status is the work of our teeming youths and graduates, who have wondered on streets of Nigeria cities and find no job opportunities in the saturated labour markets where you must have strong connections to be able to join the market. Some of those who perpetrate the drug trafficking are the ones who have lost their jobs due to some minor problems they had with their employers. These undue attitudes and behaviors of the Nigeria citizens pose a serious problem to the Nigerian.
Government, thereby hindering the socio-economic growth and development in recent times, more so even those political office holders at the helm of government sponsor some of the youths who engage in these unwanted activities. Therefore, against this ugly backdrop, this study on “impact of drug trafficking and abuse on a nation’s image, with particular focus on the content analysis of selected international and local media content in Nigeria was necessitated”.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objectives of this research study are as follows:
a. What are international and local media saying about the Nigerians on the issue at stake?
b. To ascertain what implications drug abuse and trafficking have on us, politically, economically and socially.
c. To determine the effects of drug abuse and trafficking on Nigeria economy.
d. To identify the basic problems that necessitates the act of drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.
e. Suggest possible solutions to the problem of drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
What makes a nation great is hard work leading to economic viability this enabling environment and credibility in the eyes of the right-thinking members of the community – neighbors? Therefore, the significance of this study cannot be over emphasized. The topic in question has been in the mass media for a very long time, and much has been written and the government is worried about it, that an agency was created i.e. National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Huge chinks of money being spent to fight the menace. Likewise chinks of hard earned that could be used to transform our society are expended to fight drug war and to rehabilitate victims of drug abuse, and communicate image rebuilding efforts with huge sums paid to foreign media to wider good public relations in the international community circle are enough signal to inform any mind of the importance of this study.
As citizens of this country, we lament the embarrassment method on our nations and extended to our respected dormitories and public officers at the other countries port of entering.
Therefore, by the research I entered to get to the root of the study and further alert the readers on the very need to solve this problem. It would not be solved by adhoc measures, but through a concerted effort to re-shape our image.
This issue has portrayed us a pariah nation and we are being treated as people with leprous and therefore, need to be dig out the facts and fathom good and workable solution. As the issue effects even foreign investment and caused us capital flight and disinvestments to our economic well being. Therefore, I consider such issue as this, which affect the national life paramount and should be treated seriously two.
This research is sign cant, in that it will help solve the impact of drug trafficking and drug abuse problem and help clear the menace it created. Reeducate the press, internationally and locally on the real issue and help create positive thinking that it may be involve and engaged, the media to be faithful allies to reap the society off problem and re-educate the international and local community of the true of the problem.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The main research questions in the light of this study are:
1. Is it quite true that drug abuse and trafficking have serious negative impact on Nigerians?
2. Can a nations image be tarnished due to record of drug trafficking and abuse?
3. Is mass unemployment the prime cause of drug peddling and abuse among Nigeria Youths?
4. What actions are taken to correct the act of abuse of drug trafficking?
5. What appropriate measures should be adopted to minimize the inherent problem of drug abuse and trafficking in a nation like Nigeria?
6. Are there machineries put in place to check these drug defaulters?
7. How far has the government responded to the rapid increase in the case of drug abuse and trafficking?
1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
Having identified what is to be observed (that is the problem), the following are being hypothesized:
Ho: A nation’s image cannot be tarnished due to record of drug trafficking
Trafficking and abuse.
H1: A nation’s image can be tarnished due to record of drug trafficking and
Abuse.
Ho: Mass unemployment is not the prime cause of drug peddling among
Nigerian youths.
H1: Mass unemployment is the prime cause of drug peddling among
Nigerian youths.
Ho: There are no machineries put in place to check these drug defaulters.
H1: There are machineries put in place to check these drug defaulters.
1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITED OF THE STUDY:
Drug abuse means, and is limited to the abuse of drug which has an effect on the central nervous system (CNS) and so the mind, mood, behaviors and eventually the total health and personality of the individual-Chief medical director, psychiatric Hospital Yaba.
Drug trafficking and subsequent wide two decades assumed a major socio-economic phenomenon with attendant culture problems and eventual devastating effect on the nations health care delivery, human capacity utilization and a drain on the nations wealth.
Few factors have since been postulated as the root causes of drug trafficking in Nigeria. The out standing being the economic gain drug peddlers realizes in the illicit trade that offers then quick sources of wealth.
However, great majorities of people are still ignorant about drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria.
Since my work is initially centered on monitoring reviewing, collecting and relation to determining the impact of drug trafficking and abuse on a nations content analysis of selected international. It believed that my method of research shall be basically content analysis and from which L could draw conclusions, having studied the facts closely comparing as selected materials. It then means that I shall not administer questionnaire in my research effort study.
My intention is not to go deep onto drug function but to limit ourselves with the substances trafficking and abuse and why? The conveyance of such information through the media, local and international, and is its effect on a nations image, particularly Nigeria. This will be treated on segmented five chapters and proffering suggestions that will help to elucidate the topic under review.
1.8 DEFINIITION OF TERMS:
Scientifically, a drug is any substance other than food, which by its chemical nature affects the structure or function of the living organism. From this perspective, the term may include a number of household, agriculture, and industrial chemicals. To a physician, a drug abuse, the term becomes inflammatory. The meaning of drug becomes social rather than scientific. In its social sense, when the term abuse or problems are attached, the word takes on negative connotation, this many of our reactions to the use of drugs are based on emotional responses rather than on factual information placing it in the right perspective.
“Drug abuse means and is limited to the abuse of drug which has an affect on the control nervous system (CNS) and so on the mind, mood, behaviors and eventually the total health and personality of the individual” Chief medical director, psychiatric Hospital, Yaba.
Drug trafficking and subsequent wide spread abuse in Nigeria has within the last two decades assumed a major socio-economic phenomenon with attendant cultural problems and eventual devastating effect on the nations health care delivery, human capacity utilization and a drain on the nations wealth. This is the act of peddling in drugs for monetary gain, or for definite consumption, which could be from one part of the country to another. It could be from Port Harcourt to Kano, which could be manufacturing or serve as a transit ground, from where it is pushed to consuming nation.
However, there is need to se beyond the above and reconsider other terms the featured in this treatise from another conceptual approach. The oxford Advance learning Dictionary of current English by A.S. Horn by defines “impact” as a strong impression or effect on something, to have effect on something. “Drug” as a substance used for medical purpose either alone or in a mixture, substance that change the state or function of cells, organs, or organisation.
It is a substance (often habit forming) including sleep or reducing stupor, or insensibility e.g. opium, cocaine etc.
In this vein the word trafficking is simply defined by same as movement of i.e. illicit trading in illegal drugs etc.
Abuse therefore means to make a bad or wrong use of or to ill-treat, or deceive.
Nigeria is a large community of people sharing different history and language and living in a particular territory under one government, while “image”, represents general impression that a person, firm, product e.t.c. give to the public reputation. Therefore the above collectively means country’s reputation as viewed in the eyes f the right-thinking individuals in the word community.
In the same token, “content” have signified that which is written or spoken about in a book, a programmer, a speech.
While “selected” is the past tense of select meaning: carefully chosen, especially as best out of a longer group or as most suitable.
“International”, existing between two or more nations, across nations boundary, while local is defined. Belonging to a particular place or district by the same token, “Media” means of mass communication e.g. radio, TV, Newspaper e.t.c.
According to these authorities it could be summarized by defining the entire topic in question to mean effect of drug (substance) trafficking (peddling either for monetary gain) and abuse (for definite consumption, and while the same is being used for ulterior motile, dangerous for the health for user, and problem both for health and ethnical value of the social), as it refracts on a country’s analysis (article examined) of selected (chosen out of numerous facts reported in the media) international (across nations boundaries) and local (community) media (radio, TV, Newspapers e.t.c.).
Many drugs are abused apart from the already mentioned ones, there are abuse of illicit drugs which can be classified as stimulants, and of accepted medical value e.g. cocaine (herm, igbo) and heroine.
Abuse of drug like, caffeine (cigarettes) and alcohol, which because of the speed use, and their revenue value, which have became socially acceptable and not under international control.
