The unprecedented rise, in cases relating to drugs, and substance abuse, in the country, especially northern Nigeria, is ridiculously given less attention. Drug or narcotics abuse is central and at the core of everyday life of every Nigerian. Whether a victim or not, we, in a way share an altruistic inter-disconnectedness, within the larger framework of the malaise.
In a 2018 survey, which was reviewed in 2021 and 2022 respectively, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC, reports that, prevalence of Drug abuse, in Nigeria was alarming. It was put at 14.3%, meaning that, one out of seven Nigerians are involved in drugs or substance abuse.
The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says that, age bracket of those involved in illicit drug consumption ranges from between 18-40 years, that is, the most productive demographics of any society known in human existence. A survey by the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, says, about 20 million Nigerians are suffering from mental health challenges, which unsurprisingly is linked to the abuse of hard drugs.
When a population this size, (about 200 million), is overwhelmed with drug abuse, trafficking and illicit trade, it portends a grave danger for its existence, because, its security and sanity are not easily guaranteed.
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It is a fact that population is one of the major indices of development. A country’s population is majored on the ability of its human development and productivity.
Is Nigeria’s over 200 million population capable of stimulating rapid development, when about 20 million are said to be suffering mental ailments, related to substance abuse? Or does it sufficient to have a medieval-era population — an unproductive mass of layabouts?
Definitely, only an educated, productive, enlightened and informed population is capable of stimulating rapid and sustainable development for its country.
For us in Northern Nigeria, we have unmitigated challenges — homegrown terrorism, banditry, and general insecurity which was exacerbated by the prevalence of drug abuse and trafficking. These ugly threats had significantly stagnated our overall growth and development as a region, for sometime. We sadly, have to contend with institutional economic deprivation and high poverty rate. The number of out-of-school children, is much higher than anywhere in the country.
More worrisome is, the region has a cumulative 35.6% prevalence, of drug abuse, with users mostly students, aged between 18-40. This catastrophic level, which targeted our most productive, reproductive and resourceful demographic population would, and is definitely the reason the north is stagnated economically and socially.
At the moment, top of the major concerns in northern Nigeria is unarguably insecurity. Since the advent of pockets of inter-tribal conflicts, in the early 1990s-2000s, to Boko Haram insurgency and banditry, peace had eluded the region.
One would agree, there certainly are some linkages between terrorism, illicit drug trafficking and consumption. The former inevitably fuelled the later.
According to a report by the United States Department of State, “there often is a nexus between terrorism and organised crime, including drug trafficking. Links between terrorist organisations and drug traffickers take many forms, ranging from facilitation — protection, transportation, and taxation — to direct trafficking by the terrorist organisation itself in order to finance its activities. Traffickers and terrorists have similar logistical needs in terms of material and the covert movement of goods, people and money”.
In many instances, especially in the blossoming kidnap for ransom criminal enterprise in the North West, part of the demands made by the terrorists/bandits, as preconditions for the release of captives, even after the monetary aspect of the deal was met, was a request for large supply of opiate and other psychoactive substance.
Again, in a research, conducted by an anti-narcotics NGO, Northern Alliance Against Drug Abuse on the prevalence of drug abuse in the region, it found out that, young married women, constitute about 12% of drug abusers. This exacerbates domestic violence sometimes leading to murder.
The catchphrase, due to the myriad of existential challenges, confronting northern Nigeria, was that it was living on a time bomb, ticking and waiting to explode. As it were, that time bomb has since gone off! It has exploded, with severe consequences, staring at us. Seemingly we are lost on how to combat it..
With a population of over 110 million, Northern Nigeria is uniquely poised for greatness. But the region’s greatest asset— population, has been rendered unproductive, by drug abuse.
Both leadership and followership are complicit in the region’s fall from an enviable grace to grass. Political actors, deprived citizens an aura of equitable distribution of resources. Not meaning hands out, but real investment in human capital development. To make sure they remain in a state of perpetual want and servitude, northern political actors explore deeply, the weakness of the masses, one of which is, via the creation of zombie-like junkies. Once that is achieved, they become willing tools and properties, in the hands of the leaders.
The way out is, to take one’s cross. Parents, religious leaders, and especially community elders must establish a community-based Drug Watch Brigade. It should be peopled by individuals with proven records of integrity. For instance, retired judges, civil servants, and others should form part of the brigade’s patron. And its mandate among other things, should include identifying addicts, blocking access to drugs sold in neighbourhoods, and alerting authorities to arrest and punish local dealers. They also should expedite the rehabilitation of addicts.
Government alone, obviously seems inept. Like Senator Babangida Hussaini said on the floor of the Senate, there is a need for the inclusion of Special Drugs Education, in our school curriculum, to reflect the reality of what we are passing through, both as a region, and a country.
Mohammad is with the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria
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