The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has described the rising incidence of substance abuse among Nigerian youths as a major threat to public health, campus safety and national development.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Marwa stated this on Tuesday while delivering a drug awareness and sensitisation lecture at the University of Abuja, now Yakubu Gowon University, in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the lecture, titled “High Today, Low Tomorrow: The Real Cost of Drug Abuse on Campus,” formed part of activities for the institution’s combined 29th and 30th convocation ceremonies scheduled for April 17 and 18, 2026.
Marwa said the pursuit of academic performance, social acceptance and escape from stress had driven many students into abusing drugs in the form of pills, smoked substances and liquid mixtures.
According to him, many young people 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 Nigeria’s large youth population had heightened concerns over 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 in collaboration with the European Union 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 bigger 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 NDLEA boss stressed that subsequent developments had confirmed that the scale of substance abuse, particularly among youths aged 25 to 39, had long been underestimated.
He added that initiation into drug use now occurs as early as age 19, and in some cases, below 15 years.
Marwa disclosed that NDLEA records showed that more than 60 per cent of the 77,859 drug offenders arrested in the last five years were young persons.
He added that the majority of the 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 kilogrammes 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.
“Reports 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 chairman described university campuses as a critical battleground, citing rising cases of drug trafficking, student arrests and online distribution networks.
He warned that the consequences of drug abuse include 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 increasing criminal activity.
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 rising 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.
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)
