Source: Chioma Obinna
In honour of World Drug Day 2025, Mountain Top University (MTU) and the Mountain Top Rehabilitation Centre (MTRC) hosted a powerful symposium with a bold theme: “Compassion Above Criminalisation.” The event, held under the auspices of MTU’s Directorate of Apprenticeship and Community Relations, challenged punitive drug policies and called for a more empathetic, faith-based approach to recovery.
“You Can’t Punish Pain Out of a Person”
In his compelling keynote, Olugbenga Taiwo, a representative of MTRC, spoke against the traditional model of punishing drug users, advocating instead for healing, empathy, and spiritual restoration.
“You can’t punish pain out of a person,” Taiwo stated, drawing parallels with actor Robert Downey Jr.’s public battle with addiction to highlight the potential of second chances, support systems, and trauma-informed care.
Taiwo emphasized that academic stress, peer pressure, mental illness, and family dysfunction are often the hidden drivers of substance use, especially among young people.
MTU’s Holistic Approach to Prevention
Dr. Omolola Omosebi, Director of Apprenticeship and Community Relations, highlighted MTU’s proactive policies, combining spiritual guidance, mental health awareness, and structured discipline.
“Discipline, when necessary, should be like surgery — painful but protective,” she noted.
“It must be administered not in malice, but with love and the goal of community preservation.”
MTU’s efforts include student counselling, support for spiritual growth, and early intervention programs aimed at reintegrating at-risk individuals while maintaining institutional integrity.
Panel Discussion Highlights Root Causes of Drug Use
A panel featuring the University Chaplain, a Students’ Representative, and senior MTRC staff delved into the psychosocial triggers of drug abuse:
- Low self-esteem
- Peer influence
- Family dysfunction
- Academic burnout
Speakers acknowledged the tension between compassion and accountability, with some cases requiring firm actions — including the expulsion of repeat offenders — to protect the wider student body.
A Call to Heal, Not Just Punish
Mr. Olushola Tejuosho, MTRC Team Lead, described World Drug Day as a “global declaration” reminding all communities of their collective role in addressing drug addiction with humanity.
“Let us replace cages with care. Let us be the bridge between someone’s pain and their healing,” Tejuosho urged.
“With the complex realities of substance abuse, compassion is not weakness — it’s our strongest weapon for change.”
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