One on One with Pst. Keji Hamilton

 

One on One with Pastor Keji Hamilton- ‘Parents should also make sure that they are not sending wrong signals to their children when it concerns drugs; for instance, a father putting on a shirt that is promoting beer or alcohol’.

It’s a massive structure you have here, but anyone coming in would wonder what is going on here at 16, Ikpo Street, Ikate Surulere, Lagos. So tell us what exactly is going on here?

Thank You! This is house of Joy Rehabilitation center.

How long has this been running?

Since 2009. This building was acquired and furnished by The Redeemed Christian Church of God, but we coordinate and manage this place, give direction on how to run the place and also cast the vision of the project.

What exactly prompted the establishment of House of Joy Rehabilitation center?

Yes! Sometime ago as a young man, I dropped out of school… University of Ibadan (U.I.) to be precise, as a pharmaceutical student and ended up at FELA ANIKULAPO’s shrine becoming one of his band members. So I performed, toured and traveled with him hence I was introduced to narcotics, cocaine, heroin and other hard drugs. It took me over a decade before I could come out of the habit by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. That experience made me develop a strong passion for what I am presently doing: ensuring that drug addicts who need help get one.

How fulfilled are you doing this?

I am very fulfilled because it has been a story of complete transformation of lives for many people since we started. We go to streets and drug communities to help many young men and women out there that have been rejected and abandoned by their people and the society. On my regular visits to some of these notorious areas, we talk to these people and after talking to them and they eventually agree to come with me, then we bring them to HOUSE OF JOY REHABILITATION CENTER for a period of 10months. Within this period we dedicate six months to drug de-toxicities through our transforming lectures on subjects and series of topics as well, while the other four months will be spent at a vocational skill center where they will acquire a skill. After that they will be deemed fit to return to the society, continue their normal life and even contribute to the society. Instead of being social miscreants, they now become transformed persons.

Has there been any support at all from any tier of government since you started?

Nothing has really come from the government; in truth we are yet to see them. Even though, as we speak, this center has helped even some politicians’ family members & relatives who had been abandoned. Well, what we’ve been getting has been individual support from the public, so we are yet to really get any support from the government.

You’ve been going round schools to sensitize the students in schools for a while now. Can you share your experience with us in the area of drugs relating it with school today?

Contrary to many people’s belief that drug is only associated with secondary schools and Universities, it will shock you to know that it is also found even in primary schools lately. The past five years that we have been going round schools (Primary & Secondary) in Lagos State, just to inform students of the dangers of taking drugs, I observed that different people had already started early in life to experiment on different kinds of drugs.. some at the age of 11 years and others at nine. Here is another thing that may interest you: when you talk about drugs we tend to believe it’s just marijuana and cocaine but that is far from it. We have one that we refer to as mother of drugs and that is Alcohol. You know too well that some parents give their children alcohol to drink, especially parents who are addicted to drinking. In some cases drug can be inherited because if a child grows up in a home where dad and mum drink the child will certainly not see anything wrong with it. And when that child starts taking alcohol early in life, it’s just a matter of time for the child to step up to taking marijuana, because it will get to the point where alcohol will no longer have impact in their body as they desire and someone will just introduce them to marijuana, heroin, cocaine and a whole lot of other hard drugs. That is how they ruin their lives. Meanwhile this has its effects on the student’s performance because drug addiction causes brain disease and it also has a psychological disadvantage as well. Definitely, when children start taking drugs it is going to affect their academic performance, dress sense and general behavior both at home and in school. Ultimately it will affect their physical health. There will be a change in the way they eat, sleep, and do things and gradually they will start developing psychological and psychiatric problems.

Do you have any other House of Joy center elsewhere aside this very one at Ikpoh Street?

This is our first outlet but we intend to spread because this menace called illicit drug takes place everywhere. I can name all the drug communities where drug business takes place. In Lagos alone over 160 drug communities exist where illicit drugs are bought and sold. It has become so bad that even our relevant authorities are aware of these communities. For instance, you must have been hearing of cult fight somewhere in Mushin called Akala. It is a drug community we have been visiting for over twelve years now. When you go to Akala there are policemen present but they do not arrest; they are just there to maintain peace. Drug has become a big problem and if our governments don’t do anything about it, it could eventually become a deadly time bomb. Moreover, if nothing is done urgently the government will pay dearly for it. In America today over $70billion-$75billion is spent on drug related problems.

Talking of government paying attention to drug matter in Nigeria and examining the number of young people going into drugs, the number is quite alarming. What is your take on this?

Yes! Certainly government will pay for it. It may interest you to know that in this country today there is no robbery without traces to drug. No assassination, terrorism and other outrageous atrocities without drugs. With the state of the economy, the increase in the rate of poverty, young people who have nothing to do and now the five months ASUU strike, so many students will be encouraged to go into drugs. So what we are doing is grooming a set of people that are going to be destructive to our immediate society in the near future unless we do something quick about drugs. According to my research and my wide work on illicit drugs, it may also shock you to know that every University or Campus has its own drug market, including Christian universities. Whenever I say this some Vice Chancellors would want to tear me apart. They would say that is not true. In the actual sense what is a drug market? It is where drugs are bought and sold. And in a Campus if two guys are already smoking, in less than three months they will initiate or influence eighty people. So since it’s a campus, one or two of them would volunteer to go out and buy the drugs in bulk and distribute to others. For them to make money they have to initiate more people. So when we say there are drug markets everywhere, we are talking out of experience, facts and one on one encounter with the students themselves all over the country. The government has a big battle in her hands to fight.

There is a great level of negative influence when it comes to drug initiation or introduction: how much has HOUSE OF JOY done to sensitize the masses?

We go from school to school to sensitize the students and even drug addicts in their various drug communities. We have some pictures and video clips here in my office to prove that. Again HOUSE OF JOY rehabilitation center conducts public awareness programmes on drugs and currently I’m trying to see if I can partner with other relevant bodies. And this is where the government comes in handy in terms of partnership; they should be able to partner with us on this fight against illicit drugs. We need to conduct a constant conference on drugs to enable us discuss drugs and its effect to children, parents, teachers and the society at large. This will also help to detect on time when a child is just getting involved in illegal drug because it is easier to get one out early in the drug stage before one gets addicted. When a person has done drugs for four to five months, he/she eventually becomes an addict and a big problem that cannot be easily handled.

What role exactly do you think parents need to play to actually checkmate their children from getting into hard drugs?

Parents should learn to be friendly with their children. It is observed that many parents are not friendly with their children; rather the children are closer to their house-helps. Also, parents do not seem to monitor what their children are doing. Some parents are so blessed that they build or acquire big buildings/mansions and the children stay in their separate rooms well equipped with different gadgets, but they never go there to actually know what is happening. The electrical gadgets and the satellite at their children’s disposal expose them to lots of negative things such as pornography, crime and even drugs on TV and internet. I must also add that we are living in a society that will soon blow off like a grenade and nobody will be able to do anything about it. Parents have a lot of roles to play; mentoring is one, finding out where they are going, who they are talking or listening to, who are their friends, etc. In fact parents should be their children’s first and best friends and vice versa. Ironically most parents don’t like that. They would rather shout or scream at their children at every little mistake they make. It is important that parents are careful about what they say to their kids. Parents should be careful about the message they send to kids about drugs. It is far better to be friendly and correct in love than to scream at kids even on matters that concern drugs as if one is in a military barrack. Parents should also make sure that they are not sending wrong signals to their children when it concerns drugs; for instance, a father putting on a shirt that is promoting beer or alcohol. By advertising that, the kids will believe since my father sees nothing wrong with alcohol then it is okay to drink it. Another example is when a child opens the fridge at home and finds alcoholic drinks in it; to the child it simply means it’s not a bad thing to drink alcohol. A father smoking in front of the child is simply saying it is okay to smoke or smoking is good. All these should be stopped. Another thing is that parents should not be found playing songs that encourage drinking of alcohol or engaging in drugs all in the name of ‘I love this song’ or ‘I love the musician’. Honestly, these things send a wrong signal or message to the children. Although it appears you are enjoying the music but the children would conclude that you like these things hence there is nothing wrong with it.

Let me also add that right now, these children are not only abusing marijuana, cocaine or heroin. How do you mean, you may ask? Those are simply narcotics or illegal drugs the police can arrest you for. What these children now do is what we call drug prescription. These are drugs sold in pharmacy stores such as: Codyne, Librium Sanah, Raphnon, etc. These are some of the drugs that have been abused by children lately. So parents, be warned. If you go into your children’s room and find two to three empty bottles of Belinyne and codyne in the trash for instance, then just carefully monitor the child to be sure such a child is not into drugs or is not abusing it. All these are destructive to our children. It will eventually make them turn criminals or something else if not checked on time. They can also be easily initiated into different things without their parents’ knowledge.

Would you also hold the school responsible for the students’ drugs initiation in anyway?

Of course, some teachers take drugs and they will just like to introduce some young boys/girls to it. There is loss of value in this country. The pursuit for money and fame has caused many to throw caution to the wind and disregard values. Nelson Mandela passed on December, 6, 2013. Here was a man known all over and respected for his values, what he stood for and believed in. You see and hear people sending in compliments and condolence messages to the great man. I’m yet to do the same.. I’m just reflecting on Madiba’s achievement and I ask myself where exactly do I stand? But again in our little way we are contributing to our society. The value system is terrible and our young ones are confused with absolutely no idea of the direction to go. They now have a wrong perspective that you must do something wrong, such as bribery, to get to your destination in life. They are eager to become politicians with the wrong motive. All these are wrong motives that need to be corrected. I pray that we imbibe the right motive for value and may God help us in this country.

What is your advice for students who are seriously fighting peer pressure?

Yes! What is peer pressure? It is when your age mates try to make you do something positive or negative which you are either exposed to or not. All I have to say is that you are different; God has made you a unique person. You should realize that you don’t need anything to boost your ego or confidence because these are some of the lies we hear from our friends who tend to influence us negatively so we get into drugs. Just be yourself; have a positive dream and pursue it. Therefore, as a student, to actually realize your dream what you are expected to do is face your studies and come out in flying colours. That is all. Every other thing should be left by the side.

Can you send your shout out to our esteemed readers during this YULE TIDE SEASON?

Yes! Esteemed readers, I’m saying your 2014 is a grace-filled year. Let’s put our hands together to make the year a great year by making impact in our society in our little ways. Just like these two young men are doing with EDULIGHT MAGAZINE for free and they are making impact. I urge us all to do the same. Thank you!