Mental Health Summit: US-based behaviour specialist to spotlight youth addiction, recovery at Vanguard summit October

A US-based addiction and behavioural health specialist, Dr Daniel Ikpechukwu, is among the experts billed to feature at the 4th Vanguard Mental Health Summit in Lagos, where he will examine Nigeria’s response to young people caught between substance dependence and offending.

Ikpechukwu, a Substance Abuse/Behavioral Health Counselor, Alcohol/Drug Clinical Evaluator and Treatment Provider, and Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia, USA, will address how the country can balance accountability with appropriate intervention when substance use is linked to offending.

His presentation, titled “Youth Drug Addiction and the Justice System: Advancing Treatment, Rehabilitation and Recovery in Nigeria,” is one of the key sessions at the summit, organised by Vanguard Media Limited and scheduled for Friday, October 9, 2026, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Themed “Advancing Youth Mental Health in Nigeria,” the summit has as its sub-theme “Mental Health in a Digital Age: Navigating Social Media, Technology and Wellbeing.”

Ikpechukwu’s presentation brings a pressing dimension to the summit’s focus on youth mental health, about what happens when a young person comes into contact with law enforcement and the courts.

At the centre of the discussion is whether punishment alone is enough when substance dependence is a significant factor in a young person’s behaviour. Ikpechukwu will examine the psychological, behavioural and social factors that can drive drug use and contribute to harmful behaviour.

Nigeria’s national drug-use survey estimated that 14.4 per cent of people aged 15 to 64, about 14.3 million people, had used a psychoactive substance in 2025, even as drug use can disrupt education, employment, family relationships, health and a young person’s prospects.

Ikpechukwu will examine how early assessment, appropriate intervention and structured alternatives to incarceration in suitable cases could form part of a more effective response, while recognising that public safety, the seriousness of an offence, individual circumstances and the law must remain central.

The summit is expected to deepen discussion on how Nigeria can strengthen early identification, expand access to appropriate services and improve support for young people after treatment or release.

Ikpechukwu’s participation brings an international clinical and behavioural health perspective to the discussion. The challenge is to ensure that young people affected by substance dependence are held accountable where necessary while also having access to the care and support needed to rebuild their lives.