FG Expresses Worry Over Drug Use Among Nigerians

The Federal Government has expressed concern over the use of drug abuse among Nigerians, noting that the menace has reached an epidemic proportion that presently requires concerted efforts by all to have it curbed.

- By Adewunmi Adenekan

Olufunso Adebiyi, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, stated this on Monday in Abuja, during a news conference to commemorate the ‘2023 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’.

World Drug Day is marked annually on June 26 and this year’s theme is every year ‘People First: Stop Stigma and Discrimination, Strengthen Prevention’.

Okubunmi Aribeana, the Director, Food and Drugs Services, who represented Adebiyi noted that drug trafficking and use are not only a threat to the security, governance and development of a nation but also to the health of its citizenry.

Hl“In as much as supply reduction strategies led by law enforcement and the application of criminal sanctions represent significant efforts towards curbing access to illicit drugs and their non-medical use, there is a need to match such measures with innovative drug demand reduction strategies.

“Consequently, implementation of an all-inclusive and integrated approach with equal attention paid to drug supply and demand reduction is crucial.

“This is in line with the spirit of the three UN International Conventions on Drug Control, established to protect human health by preventing drug abuse and dependence, and ensuring access to controlled medicines for medical and scientific purposes only,” he said. 

Drawing reference from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Adebiyi said that it was estimated that the prevalence of drug use in Nigeria was at 14.4 per cent.

According to him, this translates to 14.3 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 who use drugs like cannabis, amphetamines, tramadol, codeine and cocaine.

He added that this is more than twice the global prevalence of 5.6 per cent among the adult population.

“The report also estimated 376,000 people to be high-risk drug users with one in five of these persons injecting drugs.

This translates to about 80,000 people estimated to be People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) in Nigeria,” he added.

He also revealed that 78 per cent of those injecting drugs are men and that the most common drugs injected were pharmaceutical opioids, such as tramadol, codeine or morphine, followed by cocaine, heroin and tranquilisers.

He also said that it also estimated that among every four drug users in Nigeria, one is a woman, and that one in five persons who had used drugs in the past year was suffering from drug use disorders.

“Furthermore, the 2020 World Drug Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime disclosed that people who inject drugs are at increased risk of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and viral hepatitis B and C.

“This is in addition to overdose-related deaths. The World Health Organisation also reported in 2015 that psychoactive drug use is responsible for more than 450,000 deaths per year.”

According to Adebiyi, these are not just statistics but real people who are suffering from the impact of drug abuse.

He, however, said that people who use drugs were at risk of suffering from various health consequences such as infectious diseases like HIV, drug addiction or even sudden death due to opioid overdose.

"Drug abuse also hurts relationships, families and communities.

"Drug abuse can hinder our children from attaining high educational status; securing and maintaining great jobs; overcoming financial instability and poverty; as well as preventing us from living our lives free of violence and crime.

“Thus, while strengthening our healthcare system to proactively respond by providing healthcare services to those in need of treatment, there is also an obvious need to address barriers to treatment such as stigma and discrimination.

“We also need to strengthen prevention efforts, early detection measures and institutionalise essential harm reduction services to curb this menace in the interest of the wellbeing and development of our people", Adebiyi said.

He, however, said that there were concerted efforts by the Federal Government and other stakeholders to rid the nation of drug use and abuse.