We hosted a virtual conference, Unmasking Addiction: Strengthening Families and Communities to End Substance Abuse, on Friday, 3rd July 2026, commemorating the United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. In partnership with LagosMums, Adaba Initiative, and TRIL Learning Initiative, the conference brought together parents, caregivers, educators, mental health professionals, youth advocates, policymakers, and community leaders for a national dialogue on prevention, early intervention, and recovery support.
The conference opened with a keynote address by Carolyn Bradfield, Founder & CEO of Pathroot Health, alongside other leading public health experts. The wide‑ranging dialogue culminated in the launch of the Early Detection & Intervention Fund (EDIF) by Chidi Koldsweat, marking our strategic shift toward empowering families and communities to recognize and respond to substance use risks at earlier stages.
In her keynote address, “Addiction as a Ripple Effect: Families as First Responders and Communities as Healing Ecosystems,” Carolyn Bradfield, Founder & CEO of Pathroot Health, drew from her own family’s painful journey — her daughter Laura’s 15‑year struggle with addiction that ended in a fatal overdose just one month before her 30th birthday. Bradfield underscored that families, rather than formal systems, are often the first to recognize when something is wrong. She emphasized the urgent need to equip families with the language, tools, and support to act on what they see, while also building communities that can serve as healing ecosystems.
Dr. Akan Ibanga, Country Project Officer for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria, presented stated that families often confront substance use “with all the anxieties and the misinformation they have.” Citing a UNODC survey with Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, he reported that 10.3% of Nigerians, roughly 10.4 million people, used drugs in the past year, about three times the global average, and warned that West Africa, including Nigeria, faces continued growth in drug use through 2030.
Dr. Omotayo Ajirotutu, Head/Director of Psychological Services at the Federal Neuro‑Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, drew on years of clinical experience to guide attendees through the signs and symptoms of substance use, urging vigilance among loved ones, colleagues, and friends, while Dr. David Folaranmi closed the speaker sessions with a powerful Lived Experience Session, “Voices of Recovery: A Journey from Addiction to Hope,” centring the conversation on the lived reality of addiction and recovery.
The conference concluded with the launch of the free, downloadable Early Detection & Intervention Resource Guide, Download here designed to equip schools, families, workplace HR, healthcare providers, and faith communities with practical tools for prevention, early detection, and timely intervention.
Held under this year’s UN World Drug Day call for sustained, prevention‑focused investment across health, education, justice, and community systems, the conference signaled Freedom Foundation’s deliberate expansion from supporting families already in crisis to equipping them and their communities, before a crisis begins.
Founded in 2001 by Pastor/Dr. Tony Rapu, we are a leading organization committed to restoring dignity and transforming lives through rehabilitation, education, and empowerment. Over the past two decades, it has reached more than 20,000 beneficiaries nationwide through programs spanning rehabilitation, youth empowerment, education, and community support.
Watch the full replay of the Conference Here