The nation’s war on illicit drugs has received new impetus following the emergence of Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd) as the new Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Before Marwa, the drug war has witnessed some lull and inaction leading to the escalation of consumption of illicit drugs among Nigerians, especially the youths. Since his assumption of office in January 2021, the nation’s drug war has received more boosts with many seizures made across the country. This is not particularly surprising considering Marwa’s achievements as military administrator of Borno and Lagos states and other national assignments he has executed.
According to news reports, the agency has seized over N60 billion worth of illicit drugs in the last two months. Those behind the drugs have been arrested and are now facing prosecution. There have been drug seizures at the Lagos airport, worth over N30 billion and cocaine seizure at the Tincan Island port worth over 32 billion. Large consignment of tramadol has been seized at Apapa ports. The agency has equally seized over 230,000kg of cannabis sativa in Edo State and others from other parts of the country. Apart from these drug seizures and repositioning the agency for more efficiency and optimal service delivery, Marwa has envisioned a drug war that will be holistic and all-encompassing.
The NDLEA boss wants the states and by extension the local governments to be part of the campaign to rid the country of illicit and harmful drugs that damage the lives of many Nigerians, especially the youth. In his recent meeting with stakeholders in Ekiti State, the agency and the state government agreed to collaborate to tackle the drug menace which is on the increase in the country. Apart from the issuance of drug-free certificate before marriage, the agency and the state agreed on “the development of intelligence sharing network mechanism at the grassroots level with a view to dismantling the cultivation, manufacturing and use of drugs and arrest of drug barons and their cohorts.”
They also agreed on the establishment of drugs control and prevention committee in all communities which will be made up of NGOs, faith-based organizations, religious and opinion leaders, royal fathers, parents, youths and other stakeholders. It is believed that this will be replicated in other states of the federation as a way of containing the rising drug scourge. The new impetus for the drug war will undoubtedly go a long way in making those involved in the nefarious trade to do a rethink and engage in other lawful and life-enhancing enterprises.
Although the issue of illicit drug is a global problem, that of Nigeria is equally on the rise with each passing day. In its world drug report 2019, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed that globally, about 35 million people are estimated to suffer from drug use disorders and they require treatment services. The report put the number of opioid users at 53 million. It said that opioids are responsible for two third of the 585,000 people who died as a result of drug use in 2017.
According to the report, 11 million people the world over injected drugs in 2017. Out of this number, about 1.4 million live with HIV and 5.6 million with hepatitis C. The report also indicated that an estimated 271 million people or 5.5 percent of the global population aged 15-64, had used drugs in the previous year. It also revealed that the number of people who use drugs is now 30 percent higher than it was in 2009. There is also higher prevalence of the use of opioids in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.
The report disclosed that the global illicit manufacture of cocaine reached an all-time high of 1,976 tons in 2017. Also, the global seizures of cocaine in 2017 rose by 13 percent to 1,275 tons, while global seizures of tramadol rose from less than 10 kilograms in 2010 to almost 9 tons in 2013. According to the report, the most widely used drug globally remains cannabis, with an estimated 188 million people having used the drug in 2017.
Similarly, in its 2020 world drug report, the UNODC showed that about 269 million people used drugs worldwide in 2018. However, the report observed that rising unemployment and reduced opportunities caused the COVID-19 pandemic are also likely to disproportionately affect the poorest and make them more vulnerable to drug use. According to the UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly, “vulnerable and marginalized groups, youth, women and the poor pay the price for the world drug problem. The COVID-19 crisis and economic downturn threaten to compound drug dangers further still, when our health and social systems have been brought to the brink and our societies are struggling to cope.”
Therefore, the foregoing has revealed the enormity of the drug scourge across the world and the need for concerted efforts by the government, the anti-drug agency and the people of Nigeria to tackle the drug menace. While the drug use is growing globally, that of Nigeria is equally rising. The 2018 prevalence of any drug use in Nigeria is estimated at 14.4 percent or 14.3 million people aged between 15 and 64 years. Common drugs used in Nigeria include psychoactive substances, opioids, and tranquilizers. In all, cannabis remained the most commonly used drug in the country followed by opioids.
Since there is a connection between unemployment and drug use, it is worth mentioning that any meaningful drug war must incorporate the need to create jobs for the unemployed who are attracted to the money-spinner business. Poverty eradication programmes must equally be sustained. Those that cultivate some of these drugs like cannabis sativa must be empowered with farming in food crops or cash crops in lieu of cannabis. The unemployment figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) remain worrisome.
Apart from being the poverty capital of the world, Nigeria currently ranks as the 41st country with the highest rate of unemployment out of 181 countries in the world at 33.3 percent. Nigeria is said to share the unenviable league with Bosnia and Herzegovinian (34.3 percent), Namibia (33.4 percent0, and Angola (32.0 percent). The new verve given to the drug war by Marwa through the numerous drug seizures and enlightenment campaigns must be encouraged and sustained. Above all, all the states and local governments in the country should be part of this new resolve to rid the country of illicit drugs, now reported to be fast assuming an epidemic proportion.