DR.

TONY RAPU
Dr. Anthony Oseloka Rapu obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology in 1978 from the University
of Ibadan and went back to the same university for an MB; BS (Bachelor of Medicine and
Bachelor of Surgery) in 1985. For over 20 years, his interest and passion has revolved around
Drug rehabilitation and management in Nigeria. Dr. Rapu has been involved in several
intervention programs first of which was under the umbrella of Christ Against Drug Abuse
Ministries (CADAM), which he set up in 1991. This currently runs two rehabilitation centers
and a vocational training centre in Lagos. His efforts in the rehabilitation of drug addicts has
been recognized by the Lagos State government recently resulting in a budding partnership that
birthed the ‘Value for Life Initiative’, a community based drug intervention program with the
aim of providing outpatient services in six government owned community centers in the state.

Dr. Rapu also set up Freedom Foundation as a nonprofit organization in 2001 to pioneer the
concept of human security. It was conceived to proffer solutions to the ever mounting and
staggering challenges within our society, with the vision of bringing reformation to individuals
trapped in the cycle of crime, prostitution and drug abuse. In 2006, he went the extra mile in the
furtherance of this vision to set up a drug rehabilitation and resource center in Lagos, called
House of Refuge – a 25-bed facility that caters specifically to the rehabilitation needs of male
drug and alcohol dependent persons by offering holistic in-patient, out-patient and community
outreach services. House of Refuge is one of the very few dedicated private drug rehabilitation
and resource centers in Nigeria.

In addition, he also set up several other programs in partnership with other NGOs which have
served as tools for social reintegration, rehabilitation and empowerment of identified vulnerable
groups in Lagos State. In recognition of these efforts he has been invited to participate in several
government based programs by the Governor of Lagos State and the Lagos State Inter ministerial
Drug Abuse Control Committee.

In his quest to build the capacity required to render value added services in his field, Dr. Rapu
has attended several courses including a certificate course at the Kennedy School of Government
(Harvard University). As a result of his recognition of the urgent need for continuous human
capital development, especially in the area of substance abuse, Dr. Rapu plans to attend the
Hubert Humphrey program presently. This is in addition to the disturbing trend of lack of data in
the substance abuse field. The recent collaboration of HIV/AIDS prevention programs and drug
treatment centers in Nigeria, after the identification of drug users as among the Most at Risk
Population (MARP), has resulted in the invitation of Freedom Foundation to join a central
working group to conduct a research that seeks to better understand the risk taking behavior of
MARPs in Nigeria.

He seeks to build additional capacity to expand and efficiently manage fully integrated drug
intervention programs both in House of Refuge and at the ‘Value for Life Initiative’. He has
consistently demonstrated passion, dedication and commitment to the foundation’s activities.