The Effect of Drug Abuse to National Development
Edited By Bernadine E.C,EEN24 Editorial Unit
Drug abuse has become one of the greatest threats to Nigeria’s development, security, and future.
Drug Abuse is said to be the use of illegal drugs or the use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for purposes other than those for which they are meant to be used, or in excessive amounts.
Drug abuse may lead to social, physical, emotional, and job-related problems.
The causes of drug misuse include experimental use of substances in social situations, absence of consistent family support or a stable home life, genetic predisposition, exposure to ongoing environmental pressure, socioeconomic status, and mental health conditions.
From our communities to schools, from the streets to marketplaces, the danger of illicit drugs looms large, feeding crime, destroying families, and draining the nation’s productive manpower.
Not a single day that passed, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrests dealers and cartels involved in the importation and distribution of illicit substances.
The agency has recorded major breakthroughs, but thousands of kilograms of drugs still find their way into the society. And for every arrest that makes the headlines, countless more cases go undetected. The statistics are alarming.
According to the United Nations report in 2018, it’s estimated that about 14.4 million Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 were victims of drug abuse. Seven years later, the situation has not improved.
Today, it is estimated that between 30 and 35 million Nigerians spend staggering amounts of money on psychotropic substances and alcoholic drinks every year.
The most Commonly abused substances in Nigeria,includes cannabis, tramadol, codeine, synthetic opioids like “kush” and nitazenes, and even industrial chemicals converted for recreational use.Alcohol and tobacco are also widely misused.
Drug abuse is not just a personal weakness; it is a national calamity. When young people who should be productive in their prime chodes to indulge in this illicit act they become tools in the hands of Satan.
This actions thereby give room for extremist and terrorist groups to take advantage of them for criminal purposes.Thereby giving credence to the age long saying,’ nature abhors vacuum’.
Across the length and breadth of Nigeria, drug abuse has been has been one of the major causes behind banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, prostitution,stealing and other violent crimes.
Arrests have shown that many criminal elements are not only dependent on drugs but, in some cases, are deliberately drugged before carrying out operations, so that fear, conscience, and restraint are subdued. This dangerous connect between drugs and insecurity cannot be underemphasized.
Globally, research has shown that societies which successfully curtail the distribution and availability of hard drugs witness a sharp decline in crime. Nigeria must take a clue from these advance climes.
Encouragingly, some institutions have started taking bold steps.
The recent decision by higher institutions to conduct mandatory drug tests for students as a precondition for registration is commendable. It is not about punishment, but about correction, guidance, and prevention.
In many instances secondary and tertiary institutions have had to set up drug clubs,so as to educate students on the menace of drug addiction.
The recent move by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to introduce drug tests also points in the same positive direction which is preparing young Nigerians for responsible citizenship.
However, the battle cannot he left to schools, the NYSC, or the NDLEA alone. Families must rise to their responsibility of upbringing while our religious and traditional institutions should hammer on the dangers of drug abuse.
Communities must no longer tolerate open drug markets where cannabis, tramadol, and codeine are traded like ordinary goods. Religious and traditional leaders must use their platforms to speak against the use of drugs, while civil societies organization should continue to advocate for laws to curtail this ugly scourge. The media must also continue to expose the dangers associated with drug abuse.
Most importantly, government at all levels must handle the issue with a carrot and stick approach and not with kid gloves.
Our legal instruments must be decisive with relevant and contemporary laws with a robust enforcement mechanism.
Drug barons and Cartels vis-a-vis their sponsors must be prosecuted without compromise.
If Nigeria fails to decisively confront drug trafficking and abuse, our dream of ending insecurity and other social malaise will remain elusive.
But if the Nigerian government does the contrary with unity of purpose couple with willingness, determination and the political will, we can save millions of young Nigerians from destruction and secure a safer and stronger future for our nation.
However, advocacy should be geared towards addressing national concerns,like pushing for high profile Nigerians to also undergo mandatory drug test .
Since drug abuse is a significant societal problem with links to security challenges. Advocates, such as the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, has also posited that testing politicians is a necessary step in a broader national effort to combat drug abuse.
The time to act is now as delay may be dangerous.
Contributed by Charles Ejoh,
International Director of Global Center for Media and Human Empowerment
email: gcmhe24@gmail.com
0703546451,09033228058
