From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and International Society of Substance use Professionals (ISSUP) have decried the increasing rate of substance abuses by women and youths in Nigeria.
A University Don, Professor Michael Ezenwa, who made the disclosure during a presentation at a symposium organised by the Nigerian Society of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Professionals in Abuja, revealed that the figure of drug consumption in Nigeria has hit over 14.3 million with consumers within the age range of between 15-64 mostly involved.
While giving a brief insight into World drug report, the Prof Ezenwa, a lecturer in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said that women account for 92 per cent of the rise against 63 per cent by male.
“The annual report put the estimated number of people that suffered drug use disorder at 35 million people. Apart from the compounding impact of COVID-19 manifest in movement restrictions, economic downturn and increased mental health challenges, deaths from opioids abuse have been on the increase as up as 71 per cent, with women accounting for 92 per cent of the rise against 63 per cent by male.
“Drug use increased more among young people (adolescents and young adults) and significantly in developing countries with strong negative implications for economic and social development,” he noted.
Reviewing the first comprehensive national household survey in Nigeria (UNODC), he said: “We already noted from the foregoing that the annual prevalence of illegal drug use in Nigeria was estimated at 14.4 per cent which translates to about 14.3 million Nigerians aged 15 to 64 that abuse drugs, a figure far higher than the 2016 global drug use prevalence rate of 5.6 per cent. Cannabis sativa was the most commonly abused substance in Nigeria represented by 10.6 million users out of which one in three users were dependent.
“Opioids, the second most abused substance by 4.6 million people, had one in every five users with drug dependence. Pharmaceutical opoinods were also identified as the most abused prescription drug in Nigeria. The abuse of opioids is progressively more significant as a global quandary accounting for more than 70 per cent of the malady associated with drug use disorders.
“The third in the series was codeine-containing cough syrups abused by 2.4 million Nigerian among others. One obvious implication of the above data is the large number of persons that have dependence/addiction that require treatment and therefore unlikely to be contributing optimally to national development in addition to other social, economic and interpersonal challenges associated with addiction,” he said.
Speaking during the event, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Buba Marwa, disclosed that one out of every seven Nigerian was involved in drug abuse, adding that women account for one out of every four consumer of drugs in the country.
Represented by his staff, Ngozi Madubuike, he said: “the theme of this conference, ‘Substance Abuse: Re-awakening Nigerians to its reality’, cannot be overemphasised due to the growing rate of substance indulgence in our society especially in Nigeria.
“This programme would not have come at a better time than now due to increasing world over and Nigeria because of the world population. It was revealed that one out seven Nigerians have used some substance other than alcohol. More worrisome is that one out of four drug abusers is a woman. You will agree with me that substance consumption was responsible for the commission of crime and criminalities in the country,” NDLEA noted.
Earlier in his address, National President of ISSUP, Nigeria chapter, Martin Agwogie, said that; “the choice of this theme is another way of sending a very strong message that Nigeria is in crisis of substance use and abuse, which is threatening the fabrics of the nation. The society needs to be awakened to this stack reality.”