Combating Drug Abuse

The authorities should strengthen drug control policies

In a bid to intensify action and cooperation toward a society free from drug abuse, the United Nations General Assembly established 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 7 December 1987. As Nigeria joins the global observance this year, stakeholders must recognise that the country is currently experiencing a major public‑health emergency.

We commend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) under the leadership of Brigadier General Muhammad Buba Marwa (rtd) for its efforts to combat the scourge. Nevertheless, the challenge remains enormous. Earlier this week, the NDLEA uncovered a large‑scale clandestine methamphetamine production facility hidden in a forest in Oyo State. A month earlier, NDLEA operatives dismantled a similar laboratory in a forest in Ogun State. Methamphetamine, a central nervous system stimulant used primarily as a recreational or performance‑enhancing drug, was the product of these operations. Five suspects, including a Mexican national alleged to have overseen the operation, were arrested.

Drug use outside prescription is widespread, especially among youths. This prevalence is partly due to inadequate regulation in health facilities and in the dispensing of medicines. Over the years, Nigeria has become an open market where almost every drug can be obtained across the counter. Porous borders facilitate the import of all manner of drugs, and many dealers are traders with little knowledge of the public‑health consequences of their products. The first nationwide survey on drug use in Nigeria revealed extensive abuse of drug substances, particularly among those aged 15 to 64. Alarmingly, close to three million of these young people are drug‑dependent but cannot access help because of a lack of health facilities.

Drug abuse in Nigeria is fueled by parental neglect, peer pressure, and pervasive poverty and unemployment. Many frustrated and unemployed young people turn to street drugs for their relaxing and euphoric effects. A synthetic opioid analgesic used to treat moderate to severe pain is among the most abused drugs. Cough syrups containing codeine and other substances are also seriously implicated in drug abuse by both sexes, either as stimulants or depressants.

Although reliable statistics are lacking, drug abuse has been linked to a continued rise in criminal activities across the country. Cases of rape, cultism, kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery, banditry, and even car crashes are fueled by the ready availability of hard drugs on the street. The menace has imposed an unacceptable burden on individuals, families, communities, and societies. As the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, put it, “drug abuse is undermining efforts to deepen socio‑economic development and is associated with crime and lawlessness.”

According to a report once conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics and funded by the European Union, about 14 percent of the population abused drugs in the previous year—more than twice the world’s average of 5.6 percent. It is therefore time for Nigerian authorities to confront this challenge, which threatens the country’s future. Greater awareness of the dangers of drug abuse should be promoted, and, as most experts suggest, drug‑control policies should be strengthened while additional counselling and treatment services are established for those already affected.