•Pushing young people to early graves, mental homes
•Experts blame parents, media, others
From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The high rate of drug abuse in Nigeria has become a serious national concern with a huge number of the country’s young population now engaging in the act. Social commentators say that the country may be spiraling toward a “drug abuse pandemic.”
Many of the nation’s young people are currently housed in rehabilitation facilities. Some are languishing on the streets and in jail, or have died as a result of drug addiction.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) statistics in 2021 revealed that 40 per cent of Nigerian youths between 18 and 35 years are deeply involved in the abuse of drugs
Speaking at the 31st meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Africa (HONLAF) in Abuja, on September 26, 2023, the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mohammed Buba Marwa, said more young people are using drugs than before.
He said: “Young people are using more drugs than previous generations, and the majority of people being treated for drug use disorders in Africa are under the age of 35.
“What is worse, the availability of treatment and other services has not kept pace with these developments, and women in particular are suffering from treatment gaps.”
The chairman of NDLEA had, in June, raised serious concerns over the rapidly growing use of illicit drugs among young persons of school age in Nigeria.
He said a large percentage of young persons of school age have been found to use all kinds of psychoactive substances, including unconventional concoctions and inhalants.
Marwa said that safeguarding Nigerians from the devastating impacts of substance usage was essential to fostering national growth.
According to the NDLEA boss, a national drug-use survey revealed that 14.3 million Nigerians aged 15-64 years had used a psychoactive substance while one in seven persons had used a drug other than tobacco.
He noted that harm drugs do to vital systems like the kidneys, liver and reproductive system is just one example of how catastrophic the effects of drugs can be.
Other repercussions, he pointed out, include memory loss, brain damage and psychological problems such as depression, anxiety and lack of attention.
According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), approximately 14.4% of Nigerians aged 15-64 had used drugs in 2018. This figure represents a significant increase from the 2016 estimate of 14.3%.
The report highlights that cannabis is the most commonly used drug in Nigeria, followed by opioids (particularly tramadol), cough syrup with codeine and sedatives. Additionally, the prevalence of drug use is higher among males than females, with younger age groups more likely to engage in drug abuse.
UNODC Country representative, Dr Oliver Stolpe, stated at a session that projections indicate that by 2030, the incidence of drug use in Africa will rise by 40%, which is alarming for a nation like Nigeria with a sizable youth population.
He said all hands must be on deck to reverse the negative trend as the youths are the country’s future and the current indices do not augur well for the future of the nation.
While the rise in drug abuse in the country is frequently linked to peer pressure, socio-economic issues, unemployment, and lax drug control laws, some anti-drug abuse advocates have also connected its prevalence to subpar parental supervision and excessive media glamorization of the crime.
An addiction counselor, David Folaranmi, who shared seven years of his hard drug addiction story in a recent interview, explained that despite being raised in a Christian home, this didn’t prevent him from becoming addicted to drugs.
Folaranmi claims that the media’s glamorisation of drug users, particularly celebrities, is a major contributing factor to the rise in drug abuse.
He said: “Also, part of the reason why we have a high rate of drug use in the country is the media. There is the over glamourisation of drug use by the media . It is made to look good and so our young ones see these things and they tend to copy “Also, some of our celebrities are glorifying drug use in their music videos or on their social media pages. There was the case of a trending photograph involving a celebrity that had canisters of nitro oxide which is what we call laughing gas. When the youth see some of these things they tend to copy it.”
He added that, according to research, substance misuse is more likely to occur in situations where there is poor parent-child communication, excessive parental protection, child maltreatment and lack of parental attention.
“Over-domineering parents, lack of parental concern and closeness, rejection by parents. Sometimes, children are even abused emotionally, physically and verbally by their parents, childhood stress and trauma. These are some of the other things that can lead to drug abuse. Then like I said earlier, we have environmental factors. In certain environments where there is high prevalence of drug use, you find out that people use more drugs than others,” he stated.
He further pointed out that the ease of access to drugs, which increases the number of people who are predisposed to taking drugs, is another factor contributing to the ongoing rise in drug misuse among the Nigerian youth.
The anti-drug activist added that schools, which are responsible for properly educating the children, do not provide even the most basic information on drugs.
He said: “Teachers are not aware of the personal conflicts of their students. They are no more sensitive to the needs of their students. Teachers are oftentimes concerned only with the academic achievements of their students.”
According to Folaranmi, social and economic variables like poverty and unemployment also contribute to a rise in drug usage.
He said studies have shown that drug addiction is less common in areas where the majority of people are gainfully employed than it is in communities with high rates of both unemployment and poverty.
z He explained that while the government is making some attempt to address the problem, everyone needd to work together to defeat the hydra-headed beast.
He said: “We have seen a lot of arrests and a lot of prosecutions, a lot of seizures and a lot of burning of some of the exhibits that have been collected. So, I think the government has been doing a great job. However, we cannot leave this alone for the government. All hands have to be on deck to curb the menace of drug abuse in our society. We need civil society organisations, NGOs, religious organisations, youth organisations and individuals to play a part in drug drug abuse reduction and prevention.”
He expressed optimism on winning the fight against drug abuse in Nigeria, noting that the best way to reduce it to the barest minimum is by early prevention.
“We must continue to do sensitisation, education, enlightenment and advocacy on the causes, the effects and the consequences of drug abuse in our society. And I believe that if all of us play a part, we will pull this menace down to its barest minimum” Folaranmi posited.
On her part, a clinical psychologist at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, Medical Centre. Mrs Ijeoma Ogbonna, called for a concerted effort to fight drug abuse and addiction.
She lamented that the act was gaining popularity among young children of school age, and recommended that guidance and counseling be made compulsory in all secondary schools across the nation.
She said: “Drug abuse is so alarming, especially among young people. Government alone cannot fight it. Everybody has to be involved. The parents, the teachers and the media must all come together to combat it.
“Parents must pay more attention to their children and know the kind of friends and company that they keep. Recently, I saw a programme talking about the use of drugs in secondary school. So, it is no longer just in the higher institutions.
“I think schools have failed in their responsibility of upholding rules and regulations. When I was in secondary school, we had the guidance and counseling unit. I don’t know about it now, but that unit is supposed to cater to the emotional and psychological needs of the children.
“It should be made compulsory in all secondary schools, to take care of the needs of those children.
The government needs to create more rehabilitation centers. I do not know how many currently exist in the country, but I doubt that they are enough to cater for the population of drug abusers we have.”
Ogbonna suggested the death penalty as punishment for illicit drug crimes in order to serve as a deterrent for others who may want to engage in it.
“Another thing is, this is the time for the government to rejuvenate the laws, because I know, there should be laws guiding the issue of drug use. There should be punishment for drug users and traffickers. It should be made that once you are found using or trafficking illicit drugs, you are prosecuted.”