The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health has strongly advocated for continuous education, enlightenment, and reorientation of Nigerians as a key response to drug abuse in society.
In a statement released on the official Twitter handle of the ministry, Permanent Secretary Daju Kachollom stated that the Ministry in efforts to address the menace of drug abuse was focused on drafting policies towards its prevention while receiving delegates from Re-orientation Advocacy of Nigeria (RAN) at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics Report of 2018, the prevalence of any drug use in Nigeria is estimated at 14.3 million people between ages 15 & 64.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in recent statistics has revealed that 40 percent of Nigerian youths between 18 and 35 years are deeply involved in the abuse of drugs.
“It is also common knowledge that psychoactive substances instigate the re-occurrence of social unrest such as; criminalities, insurgencies and terrorism. As most of these vices were said to be committed under the influence of drugs,” Kachollom said.
“We cannot ignore other consequences of substance abuse to Nigerian society including the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, and even more saddening the effect on mental health causing many debilitating conditions such as schizophrenia and psychosis, leading to psychiatric admissions,” She added.
While listing factors commonly associated with drug abuse in Nigeria ranging from poor socioeconomic status, peer-group pressure, and family problems to poor academic performance, Kachollom further noted that tackling substance abuse in Nigeria goes way beyond all of these factors.
The Permanent Secretary, commending RAN for its efforts added that the fight against drug abuse is not a task for the government alone.
She further assured the group of the Ministry’s willingness to collaborate and support relevant organisations to end drug abuse in the country.
