Chairman of the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), General Buba Marwa on Wednesday gave a scary picture of a bleak future awaiting Nigeria if urgent steps are not taking to tackle the high rise of drug abuse by mostly Nigerian youths.

Speaking at a public lecture organized by the United Action for Change (UAC) on the topic: ‘Drug Abuse and The Future of Nigeria’ held in Lagos, Marwa while quoting findings of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, revealed that not less than 14.3 million Nigerians abuse drugs and other dangerous substances.

Putting the age brackets of the abusers between 15 and 64 years, Marwa equally said among them, one of four of the drug users was a female.

This is just as he named cannabis as the most abused substance in Nigeria saying:

“Expectedly, cannabis is the most abused substance by Nigerians. What is alarming, however, is that a staggering 10.6 million of our compatriots are guilty of abuse of cannabis. That number makes our country No. 1 in the abuse of cannabis. Let us ponder over this: 10.6 million is more than the estimated population of countries such as Greece, Azerbaijan and Portugal, or our West African neighbour, The Republic of Benin.”

The NDLEA chairman also raised the alarm of how the abusers of Cannabis first started abusing the drug at age 19 adding that the highest level of use is concentrated in the youth age bracket of 25 to 29.

He, however, disclosed that the highest abuse of drugs according to findings have be n traced to the southern geopolitical zones with the South Western part of the country recording the highest prevalence with over four million Nigerians indulging in the abuse of various drugs.

“In this regard, the Lagos-Oyo axis is the epicentre of drug abuse in the country. The findings of the survey showed that one out of five persons abusing drugs is suffering from drug use disorders. That comes to almost three million Nigerians.

“Talking on the menace and the future of the country using UAC as a case study, Marwa declared: “Now, we can speak about what the trend in drug abuse portends for the future of Nigeria. In doing this, it is proper that we are guided by available statistics, and I will draw copiously from the 2021 World Drug Report by UNODC, which says that by 2030, Africa will be a hotbed of drug abuse. The report notes that Africa will experience “an increase in the number of people who use drugs in the next decade, merely as a result of population growth.”

“It is projected that the number of people using drugs will increase by 40% in Africa. When they say Africa, I want us to think of Nigeria, because Nigeria has one of the highest drug use prevalences in the world. The report also notes, inter alia, that considering the age structure of the current population of Africa and its projection by 2030, the projected number of people who use drugs in the region could be concentrated mainly in the age groups 25–29 and 30–34.”

Away from statistics, Marwa said empirical facts from anti-narcotic operations by NDLEA showed clearly that access to illicit drugs had become simpler than ever with the dark web serving as a haven of illicit drugs.

“Now, drug addicts don’t have to go out anymore. With data and debit cards, they can from the comfort of their home or any safe nook, access social media by phones, search for drug vendors, carry out contactless drug transactions, and have their purchases delivered to their doorsteps. That is one problem area for the future.

Another one is the continuous growth of New Psychoactive Substances. As narcotics agencies concentrate on reducing the supply of the known illicit drugs, the drug underworld is busy experimenting with synthetic New Psychoactive Substances, and the authorities could be none the wiser for many years.

“By and large, the outlook of the future will depend on our action or inaction at curbing the drug abuse trend. I, being an optimist, believe the future favours Nigeria, only if we get the matrix right. A lot has been said about the future belonging to Africa. Indeed, the potential is glaring, when you factor in the continent’s burgeoning youth population, the digital aptitude of the younger generation and the enterprising spirit of young people. But a lot of work has to go into the making of that vision. If we read the statistics correctly, the world’s biggest drug problem of the future could be in Africa.

“To worsen the situation, the catalysts for a drug armageddon are here with us: poverty, poor governance, bad politics, ethnic jingoism, religious intolerance and interference by foreign actors, insecurity, name it. So, the future could be bright or bleak; it could be one of boom or gloom; it could be decades of prosperity or problems depending on the amount of work we are willing to do today. Tomorrow, the saying goes, “belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”

The retired General, therefore, believed that if Nigeria must have a better future, as Nigerians living in Nigeria, “we must among other things, solve the drug aspect of the insecurity equation. We must cut out the drug pipelines, mop our cities clean of illicit drugs, take out the traffickers, and reduce drug demand by treating those already addicted.”

He used the opportunity to delve into how far the anti-narcotic agency had fared under him in the fight against drug trafficking.

His words: ” We have arrested over 8,634 traffickers, jailed over 1, 630, counselled and rehabilitated over 4, 269 in our facilities. Operatives of the Agency have seized over 2.7 million kilograms of assorted drugs, which together with cash seized are worth over N100 billion. In the past eight months, we have targeted drug cartels and successfully brought five drug barons to book.

“With the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in June, the NDLEA has introduced anti-drug advocacy across the different strata of society, from state to local and community levels. In a matter of weeks, we will kickstart our campus advocacy, which will be saturated to all six geopolitical zones.”

He commended the convener of the UAC annual public lecture, Dr Muiz Banire, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) for choosing the topic at a critical time the country as a whole is battling with the high rate of insecurity which he said cannot be detached from the high rate of drug abuse.

In his remarks at the public lecture, the image maker of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi while equally commending the convener of the lecture, drew the attention of parents to what he called the new trend being used by the drug abusers to deceive NDLEA and others.

Under the new trends, Babafemi cited how underage children between the age brackets of 13, 14 and 15 are now being engaged as vendors in other to beat security intelligence.

Another trend is the shift to social media platforms like Instagram where they hide under different group platforms to display their drugs for patronage.

He urged parents to show more curiosity in the way their children use their mobile phones particularly keeping taps on the various social media platforms they belong to.

Other keynote speakers at the lecture include Dr Adedeji Oyenufa of the Sociology Department at the Lagos State University, Dr Michael Adadevoh, a renowned psychiatrist consultant, Dr Martins Osayande Agwogie of the Global Initiative for Substance Abuse and Mrs Adeola Majiyagbe who represented Freedom Foundation.

Students from different schools across Lagos State were in attendance.

According to Dr Banire, the public lecture was the seventh wherein the previous six tackled issues like youth leadership empowerment, public interest litigation, legislative advocacy and freedom of information bill among others. (Nigerian Tribune)

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