The call by the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi 11, for compulsory drug tests for Nigerian leaders has once again drawn attention to the growing problem of drug addiction in the country. The Emir, at the opening of a two-day Senate discussion on Drug Abuse Epidemic in Nigeria held in Kano on December 18, decried the use of drug addicts as thugs by some politicians during their electoral campaigns.
Emir Sanusi 11, who represented the Sultan of Sokoto, Dr. Sa’ad Abubakar, called for better funding of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) so that it can better discharge its responsibilities to the nation. He also blamed the increasing abuse of psychotropic drugs in the North on poverty, illiteracy and broken homes. The Kano State Deputy Governor, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, solicited for Federal Government’s support on the war against drug abuse which he said had gone beyond the capacity of the state government. Kano State reportedly has the largest share of the drug abuse burden in the country. Recently, some of these drugs worth N4.6 billion were destroyed in the state.
The House of Representatives has also called on the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ban the sale of codeine and other harmful drugs in the country. In adopting a motion sponsored by Abdulsamad Dasuki (APC Sokoto), the lawmakers directed NAFDAC to ensure that codeine is sold as prescription drug only. Dasuki also stressed the need to ban the over-the-counter sale of codeine and tramadol, to address their abuse in the North. He called on NAFDAC to institute punitive measures against medical practitioners who sell opioid medications without a notarised prescription by a qualified medical doctor. About three million bottles of codeine are said to be consumed in Kano and Jigawa states annually.
There is no debating the widespread abuse of psychotropic drugs all over the country, with the problem seemingly more pronounced in the North. We had, sometime ago, strongly condemned the pervasive use of these drugs by many residents of some of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, following the outcry of some state authorities. While girls consume cough mixtures and other drugs with codeine to get high, boys use cocaine, heroin and Indian hemp. In fact, Indian hemp is the most commonly abused drug across the country, probably because it is grown locally. It has been reported that poorly informed youths in some parts of the country consume these mood-altering substances.
Most of these drugs are consumed at various motor parks in practically all the geo-political zones in the country. Between October and November this year, officials of the NDLEA Bayelsa State Command apprehended 77 illicit drug suspects. According to the Command, some of the psychotropic substances consumed in the state include tramadol, codeine and diazepam.
Experts have identified ignorance as one of the key reasons people consume drugs. Many of the addicts believe that they need the drugs to feel good, so they habitually consume analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as routine medicines. Others abuse stimulants and depressants, with dire consequences.
Apart from the psychotropic drugs, it has been established that reckless use of some painkillers can damage the kidneys and make their users vulnerable to cancer. Morphine, on the other hand, can cause severe drug addiction. Abuse of psychotropic drugs also leads to increases in crime rate, mental disorder, child abuse, domestic violence, rape, homelessness and poverty.
There is no doubt that unrestricted access to medicines due to the nation’s poorly regulated drug distribution channels contributes to the increasing use of psychotropic substances. The existence of many unregistered and illegal medicine outlets and open drug markets in many cities in the country also makes it easy for people to source some of these drugs without prescription.
To curb the pervasive drug abuse in the country, all stakeholders must come together and map out ways to prevent easy access to psychotropic substances. Government must properly regulate the country’s chaotic drug distribution system. It has become necessary to dismantle all the open drug markets in cities like Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Onitsha and Aba among others.
People should buy prescription drugs from only registered pharmacies. NAFDAC and NDLEA should cooperate to stem the increasing abuse of drugs nationwide. All tiers of government in the country should also team up with their health authorities to check this growing menace.