By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, warns that the drug epidemic could consume Nigeria if untamed.
According to the anti-nacortic boss, the agency arrested 19,341 drug offenders across the country in the last 22 months.
Speaking at the 10th-anniversary lecture of Realnews in Lagos, Marwa said the agency also made convictions of 3,111 in addition to the seizure of 5.5 million kilograms of assorted drugs within the same period.
Marwa said, “To start with, Nigerians are not ignorant about drug trafficking and drug abuse issues. The activities of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in the past 22 months have given our society a clear picture, certainty and the severity of the drug problem in the country.
“The arrest of 19, 341 drug offenders and subsequent conviction of 3, 111 in addition to the seizure of 5.5 million kilograms of assorted drugs in 22 months are incontrovertible facts of a deeply entrenched illicit drug subculture. Previously, many Nigerians found it hard to believe that illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin are trafficked in and out of the country.
“But NDLEA has made huge seizures and there is no basis for scepticism anymore. If anything, NDLEA activities since January 2021 have further reinforced the facts of Nigeria being an important hub in the global illicit drug network, and secondly, that our country is not only a transit pipeline but also a market.
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“Similarly, Nigerians cannot pretend now not to know that our young people are abusing illicit drugs because youths have an overt drug lifestyle. Youths of today promote the drug subculture. It is common nowadays to hear them say they want to be high. It is there on the street, in songs, in chatrooms, in clubs and at parties.
“Many crave alcohol and weed as soon as they run into any emotional situation. To put it in their language, as glorified by one popular music, they tell you ‘I need igbo and shayo.’ It is disturbing that abusing marijuana and alcohol is the new normal for youths, especially the Gen Z and even the Millenials.”
Marwa said the empirical facts around speak volumes about how young people are abusing dangerous substances. He said the agency may not have a grasp of the depth of this decadence until it begins to see statistics and other data.
“I will highlight a few facts from United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC World Drug Reports 2021 and 2022: more young people are using drugs compared with previous generations.
“Young people continue to use MORE DRUGS than adults and have higher levels of use than in past generations. Over the past year, around 275 million people have used drugs, up by 22 per cent from 2010. Of the increase, over 50 per cent are youths.
“There is a 10 per cent prevalence of cannabis use among 15-16 years old young Africans.
These facts and figures sum up the situation. But we must also be honest to admit that society is also partly to blame for the rise in drug abuse among youths.
“Let’s take cannabis for an example, there is no gainsaying that the incident of more youths abusing the psychoactive plant is fuelled by society sending wrong messages to young people. Today, you have all sorts of pro-cannabis groups, movements and activists all over the place. They make it seem as if smoking cannabis is innocuous and not dangerous to health, and, therefore, should be an inalienable right of the smoker.
“Even some politicians and institutions, focused on the economic gains of the cultivation of cannabis, are ready to liberalise the commercialisation of the plant. All of these send mixed messages to young people.
“We have 10.6 million of our compatriots, mostly youths, abusing marijuana and other cannabis derivatives. Alarmingly, some of them started using the substance between ages 13 and 17, with the largest pool of users in their early 30s.
“Still, the activities of the past 22 months in NDLEA have given us further insights and we now know that aside from smoking, they use it for cookies and brownies and also infuse it in drinks.
“Other dangerous substances, frequently abused by young people in this country include crystal methamphetamine, known locally as Mkpuru Mmri, and pharmaceutical opioids, mostly tramadol and codeine, which are used to produce dangerous mixtures, like skuchies, that they drink at parties.”
Publisher of Realnews Magazine, Maureen Chigbo, explains the choice of the topic: ‘Drug Abuse Among Youths in Africa: Implications for Nigerian Economy and 2023 Elections.’ She said: “This year, we zeroed in on “Drug Abuse among Youths in Africa: Implication for Nigerian Economy and 2023 Elections” because of our deep concern about the nefarious effect of drug on our youths. We watched viral videos of how Mkpulumiri is wrecking the lives of not just young people but old people too. We heard stories of how students indulge in anti-social behaviours and some even go to the extent of damaging school buildings to pilfer the roofs to sell to meet their drug needs.”