VP Shettima pledges FG’s Support As MTN Foundation, UNODC Commit to Preserving Future of Nigeria’s Youth Population

As the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the MTN Nigeria Foundation partner on the national survey on substance use in Nigeria, the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima has pledged the commitment of the Federal Government to take ownership and leadership of the initiative.

According to the Vice President, the Federal Government is involved in the initiative, which he said, is essential to Nigeria’s survival as a nation.

The Vice President stated this at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday during the signing of the letter of acceptance for cooperation on the National Substance Use Survey in Nigeria between the UNODC and MTN Nigeria Foundation.

Speaking on the Federal Government’s expectations, Senator Shettima said, “we expect the findings to land as policy inputs, not as documents and we expect a full and final report no later than the first quarter of next year”.

Stressing the commitment of the Federal Government, the VP said “I want to be clear that the Office of the Vice President’s role is not ceremonial. We are in this for the outcome because the survey report will provide relevant authorities with granular local government data required to design and implement critical interventions.

“We are establishing a Project Management Office (PMO) within this office. The PMO will coordinate government’s participation across all stages: questionnaire design, field oversight, inter-agency engagement, and the launch and utilization of the final report.”

He acknowledged the contributions of all partners in the project, noting that they reflect the kind of private sector engagement that drives national development and thus worth emulating.

Earlier, the Executive Drirector, MTN Nigeria Foundation, Mrs Odunayo Sanya, said the initiative is aimed at deepening the partnership between the Foundation and the Federal Government in terms of national development and preserving the future of Nigeria’s youth population.

She said the survey which will be conducted at local government level will be comprehensive and has the full support of the MTN Nigeria Foundation which has similar projects ongoing across different parts of Nigeria.

For his part, the Country Representative of the UNODC, Cheikh Ousmane Toure, said the partnership with his organization, MTN and the Federal Government of Nigeria, was inspiring and a powerful signal of the country’s determination under President Tinubu to combat drug abuse and related crimes.

He said the UNODC was inspired to commit its technical expertise in the project by the quality of leadership demonstrated by Nigeria which has shown in concrete terms how vision and purpose combine to deliver landmark results.

The country representative said the UNODC remains fully committed to walking the same path with Nigeria on the project which he described as the beginning of a more strategic engagement between the government of Nigeria, the private sector and the United Nations family.

Present at the event were the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu; a non-executive director, MTN Nigeria Foundation Board, Mr Simon Aranonu, among others.

Stanely Nkwocha
Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications
(Office of The Vice President)
29th April, 2026