Love And Affection Helps Mohd Nazri To Repent

By Newmond Tibin
SIPITANG, July 8 (Bernama) -- By the age of 16, Mohd Nazri Osman was hooked to opium and subsequently to other drugs including marijuana, heroin and psychotropic pills.
Mohd Nazri has been in and out of drug rehabilitation centres and with a stroke of luck by the age of 41 he managed to kick the habit for good.
Today the 47-year old man is a proud restaurateur and a mentor for addicts who want to change.
And just how did this miracle happen? His is the classic case of how love and affection can help one to repent and he owes everything to one woman, his wife Dhuha Solahuddin.
It is by coincidence that both of them crossed paths and their love for each other provided a strong conviction for Mohd Nazri to change for the better.

A DIFFERENT LIFE TODAY

Mohd Nazri today is the owner of the Blues Brothers restaurant in Sipitang, the town nearest to the Sabah-Sarawak border, situated 44 kilometers south of Beaufort and 144 kilometers south of Kota Kinabalu.
He is also a member of the National Former Drug Addicts' Association (Pendamai Malaysia) and serves as the motivational speaker for the organisation in Sabah.
"I feel much better now compared with the period when I was on drugs. It almost ruined my life," said the soft-spoken lad from Bidor, Perak to Bernama.
Fondly called Ito by his friends in Sipitang because of his voice that resembles one of the Blues Gang's vocalist, Mohd Nazri related that he started taking drugs when he was in Form Four at SMK Sik Abdul Ghani, Bidor, Perak.
"First my school mates introduced to me cigarettes and alcohol. Than I sought more adventure and that was when I started taking marijuana and opium. Then I turned to more powerful ones like heroin and ended up with psychotropic pills.
Five years later, at the age of 21, he was lucky to secure employment with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) as a junior technician but those working with him did not know of his dark secret.
Then things changed abruptly in 1988 when he was caught and incarcerated at the Perlup Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Perak for eight months before being sent to the Jerantut Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Pahang for a year.

JERANTUT THE MEETING POINT

While in Jerantut, he had to undergo social work at SK Teh Jerantut and that was where a young teacher caught his attention. This is the woman who will bring a defining change to his life.
"Initially we were just saying hi to each other, then started short conversations and later longer conversations.
"Realising of my background she kept giving me words of encouragement during our conversations.
"I realised she cares about me despite my background. Love blossomed but our relationship was disapproved by her family due to my background," he said.
Both communicated on and off until 1993 when Dhuha quit her job at the school in Jerantut and left for Sipitang, Sabah in 1994 to take up another teaching job there.
Meanwhile Mohd Nazri after being released from the Jerantut Rehabilitation Centre at the end of 1989 returned home and was soon back with his old drug addict friends.
"I was caught nine times and went in and out of the rehabilitation centres four times with the last being the Sungai Besi Rehabilitation Centre in 2001," he said.

SHE IS THE ONLY HOPE

After spending two years at the centre in Sungai Besi, Mohd Nazri wanted to change for good and realised he needed the moral support of the genial teacher he befriended in Jerantut.
The opportunity to contact her only came in July 2006.
"When I called she was not at home so I left my phone number with her older sister hoping one day she will call me back. Then I learned that she had moved to Sipitang, Sabah and I was utterly disappointed.
"I thought it was all over. To my surprise, a few days later she called me. After few months of long distance courtship, I proposed to Dhuha and on Nov 23 the same year we got married in Perak," Mohd Nazri recalled with big smile.
Mohd Nazri then followed his wife to Sipitang where she has been teaching at the Sekolah Agama Pekan Sipitang to start a new life.
He also realised he had to do something to keep him occupied and thus started trying his hand in small scale business where he did well and in February 2009 he opened the Blues Brothers Seafood restaurant.

NAZRI OWES ALL TO HIS WIFE

"I owe all that I have today to my wife, in particular, her will in helping me to get rid of my drug addiction. Without her, I may not be what I am today.
"I married her because she is the only one who accepted me for what I am...I truly love her," said Mohd Nazri.
Dhuha said 20 years ago she was attracted to Mohd Nazri because he was nice and showed a glimmer of hope in recovering.
"I could see in his eyes during our very first meeting that one day he will repent and today its proven," she said on her husband's dramatic change.
Apart from giving him words of encouragement, Dhuha also accepted him in her life and convinced him that "there is someone in this world who still loves you".
Dhuha said she kept on encouraging Mohd Nazri to repent during their courtship at Jerantut and through their conversations over the phone until they lost communication sometime in 1993.

SAY NO TO DRUGS

Dhuha said she is very happy because her parents finally accepted Mohd Nazri as their son in law and gave them their blessings.
She fully backed her husband's initiative to venture into business and planned to open up two more branches of Blues Brothers in Kota Kinabalu and Tawau respectively.
"We plan to name both restaurants `Blues Brothers Sri Sipitang' and we hope Mara and Bank Rakyat will be kind enough to render financial assistance to make our dream come true," she said.
The Blues Brothers' specialties are Nasi Goreng Tiga Rasa, Nasi Goreng Empat Rasa, Nasi Goreng Lima Rasa, Sup Tulang and ABC Blues. The restaurant in Sipitang has four employees.
"Say no to drugs and love yourself," said Dhuha when asked on her advise to others in the same predicament like Mohd Nazri.
The exemplary couple came out in full support of the government's efforts to wage war against the drug abuse in the country.
-- BERNAMA