Telling ourselves the truth about drug abuse

Nigeria is struggling against the rising tide of drug use, especially among the youth of our country.  The disturbing increase in the number of drug users is very scary. The picture got clearer recently, as the first ever comprehensive national survey report on drug use in Nigeria was presented through a collaborative research effort between […]

Nigeria is struggling against the rising tide of drug use, especially among the youth of our country.  The disturbing increase in the number of drug users is very scary. The picture got clearer recently, as the first ever comprehensive national survey report on drug use in Nigeria was presented through a collaborative research effort between the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The report showed that our country is breeding a nation full of addicts.

The drug usage in the country as reported by the UNODC is twice the world norm of 5.6per cent.

We should all be concerned about this trend because it threatens the sustainability of our nation’s economy and sends disturbing signal to the global environment.

We need to urgently act on all the recommendations in that report. We need to prepare and invest well in the National Drug Control Master Plan 2020−2024, implement the evidence-based drug use prevention programmes, monitor and evaluate the drug use patterns, emerging trends and responses to drug problems, especially as they concern women. A holistic approach should also be adopted by involving non-governmental organisations. It is also important for us as a country to have a good drug distribution system that can guarantee safe, efficacious and affordable medicines across all levels of health care delivery.

 

Yusuf Hassan Wada wrote this piece from Katsina.