By UCHE BIBILARI

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has described the growing incidence of substance abuse among Nigerian youths as a major threat to public health and national development.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Marwa, said this while delivering a Drug Awareness and Sensitisation Lecture at the University of Abuja, now Yakubu Gowon University, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture is titled “High Today Low Tomorrow: The Real Cost of Drug Abuse on Campus.”

The lecture formed part of activities lined up for the institution’s combined 29th and 30th convocation ceremonies scheduled for April 17 and April 18, 2026.

Marwa said the quest for academic performance, social acceptance and escape from stress had driven many students to abuse drugs in the form of pills, smoked substances and liquid mixtures.

According to him, many youths seek temporary relief from academic and social pressures without realising they are jeopardising their future.

He noted that substances such as cannabis, codeine-based syrups, tramadol and synthetic drugs were increasingly finding their way into tertiary institutions.

Marwa said the large youth population had heightened concerns about substance abuse in the country.

He cited findings from the 2018 National Drug Use Survey conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in collaboration with the European Union (EU) and the Federal Government.

According to him, the report showed that Nigeria recorded a drug use prevalence rate of 14.4 per cent, nearly three times the global average of 5.6 per cent.

“The findings of the survey confirmed long-held suspicions.

“After the release of the report in 2018, a series of events over the next two years further reinforced the findings and added to the big picture of the dimension and depth of substance abuse by Nigerian youths.

“In retrospect, the magnitude of substance abuse among adolescents and young adults was grossly underestimated,” he said.

The chairman stressed that subsequent developments confirmed that the magnitude of substance abuse, particularly among youths aged 25 to 39, had long been underestimated.

Marwa added that initiation into drug use now occurred as early as age 19, and in some cases below 15 years.

He disclosed that NDLEA statistics indicated that more than 60 per cent of the 77,859 drug offenders arrested in the last five years were young persons.

He also said that majority of over 48,000 individuals treated in rehabilitation facilities also fell within the youth demographic.

“The rising trend is driven partly by a subculture that glamorises drug use, with expressions such as “getting high” increasingly normalised among young people and widely promoted on social media.

“Cannabis remains the most widely abused drug in Nigeria, accounting for over 70 per cent of the 14.8 million kilograms of illicit substances seized between 2021 and 2025.

“The country is estimated to have about 10.6 million cannabis users, most of them youths,” he said.

Marwa also highlighted emerging patterns of abuse, including cannabis-infused foods and drinks, as well as methamphetamine use, locally known as “mkpurumiri,” particularly in the South-East.

He said the agency had dismantled more than 10 clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in recent years.

“You can recall that Nigeria previously grappled with an opioid crisis between 2016 and 2019, marked by widespread misuse of codeine syrup and tramadol, often mixed into locally made cocktails consumed by students.

“Report also pointed to a growing trend of drug-laced edibles, such as cookies and pastries, distributed through social media networks by educated young individuals,” he said.

The NDLEA boss described university campuses as a critical battleground, citing increasing cases of drug trafficking, student arrests and online distribution networks.

He said the consequences of drug abuse included academic decline, mental health disorders, broken relationships, exposure to crime and, in extreme cases, death.

According to him, the effects extend beyond individuals to families, institutions and society through reduced productivity and rising criminal activities.

Marwa called for coordinated interventions involving preventive education, stronger law enforcement and sustained community engagement to curb the menace.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, said drug abuse had become a major societal challenge largely affecting young people.

Fawehinmi noted that drug trafficking and abuse had evolved into a multi-billion-dollar global enterprise sustained by increasing demand and easy access to various substances.

“In recent times, there are so many varieties of drugs that can be accessed in different places, particularly by young people, which eventually makes them high today and low tomorrow,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the lecture would deepen awareness of the dangers of drug abuse and encourage students to make responsible choices.

NAN reports that the highlight of the event was the presentation of a plaque to Marwa by the Chairman of the Governing Council of the university, former Sen. Olanrewaju Tejuoso. (NAN)

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