Fred Itua, Abuja
THE United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed that Nigeria ranks highest among countries with high drug use prevalence rate in the world.
Data from the agency indicated that there were 14.4 million drug users in Nigeria, a14 .3 per cent prevalence rate, which was higher than the global community 5.3 per cent prevalence rate .
National Programme Officer for the agency, Mrs Folusho Adelekan, stated this, yesterday, in Abuja at a one day sensitisation workshop on drug abuse and rape organised by Christabels Initiatives and facilitated by the Senate and House of Representatives joint Committee on Narcotic Drugs.
She lamented that though Nigeria had five years National Drug Control Master plan, it was not well funded for meaningful results.
“The menace requires actions packed operational strategy that must be well funded. Aside lack of well funded operational plan, there are no enough treatment or rehabilitation centres in the country for drug addicts. Even in the realm of prevention, enough actions are not being put in place in terms of education,sensitization and discipline at the home front,” she said.
Deputy Director, National Agency for Control of Aids , Dr. Yinka Falola – Anoemuah, said the seriousness of actions applied in tackling the scourge of HIV /AIDs in the country, should be used in confronting the menace of drugs abuse and rape in Nigeria
“Two million people are living with AIDS in Nigeria but being managed without much havoc in the country.Even at that, operational master plan has been put on ground to end AIDS in Nigeria by 2030 , the way polio was eliminated . Though drug abuse is habitual and not disease like HIV/AIDS , but can still be frontally tackled operational master plan used to fight HIV/AIDS in the country to the barest minimum,” she said .