Assessment of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s Public Relations Strategies Against Substance Usage Among Youths in Oyo State, Nigeria

This study investigated Public Relations (PR) strategies used by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the campaign against substance usage and sought to determine the knowledge of youths about the harm associated with drug usage among the youthful population in Oyo state. The study hinged on the Public Relations Transfer Model and employed a mixed-methods approach, combining a quantitative survey and qualitative In-depth Interviews, utilizing a structured questionnaire and interview guide as data collection instruments. The population of the study includes youths residing in Oyo, and six (6) NDLEA officials selected from the NDLEA branch office in Oyo state. The study adopted a multi-stage sampling technique to select 384 respondents through the Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination table, while a purposive sampling technique was adopted to select NDLEA officials in Oyo state. The findings of this study revealed that the NDLEA perceived PR strategies in the form of media partnership and community engagement in the campaign as the major PR approaches against substance use in Oyo state, while the respondents (Oyo youths) perceived that social media (bloggers, influencers, celebrities) as the topmost PR strategy for illicit substance use they are knowledgeable about. Also, findings showed that campaigns through enlightenment against substance use were effective, but stimulating positive behavior changes was not achieved because the respondents perceived that the PR strategies were not highly effective in the containment of substance use. Therefore, continual use of the PR strategies currently adopted by NDLEA combined with other conventional strategies is recommended.