NDLEA reveals 14.3 million Nigerians abuse drugs

According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, 14.3 million Nigerians take drugs regularly.

The organisation noted that more women are now involved and that the 14.3 million drug addicts in Nigeria are between the ages of 15 and 64.

This was said by Ibiba Odili, the state commander of the NDLEA for Ogun, at the Abeokuta launch of the war against drug abuse in partnership with Lions clubs worldwide.

One in four people who consume drugs in the country are women, according to Odili, who bemoaned the disturbing trend.

She said, “2018 survey tells us that the most common drug abused in Nigeria is cannabis, which regrettably is cultivated mostly in the southwest region of Nigeria.

“That, one out of every four drug users is a woman. In  2018 data shows that more women are going into drug use. And if more women are going into drug use, it is a source of worry for us, because, it means that the traditional row of women in families and communities are caregivers, role models, and live moulders will be threatened, because what quality of children are these women going to raise.”

She outlined how Nigeria changed from being only a hub for the transit of illicit drugs to becoming a significant consumer and even producer.

She said, “We started by being a transit country, consuming maybe cannabis, alcohol, and all of that, then, we graduated to heroin, cocaine, but today, regrettably, Nigeria is not just transit, we are huge consumers, and we are not just cultivator of cannabis, we are now producing drugs, such as methamphetamine, which is highly addictive, very potent.”

She added that the poll found that young people were coming up with inventive and imaginative new ways to get high.

She continued, saying that in order to add to the complexity of the drug usage problem, people are now abusing everyday items like methylated spirit, glue, nail polish, paint thinner, fermented urine, and even match heads.

Odili forewarned of the terrible effects of drug manufacture, particularly those involving chemicals like methamphetamine.

She indicated that in a decade or two, areas that produce these pharmaceuticals may experience numerous cancers and other grave illnesses.

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