Agitated by the prevalence of drug abuse in Nigeria and its devastating consequences on the citizenry, the Senate, on Tuesday, urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the menace.
The Senate passed this resolution following a motion on the “urgent need to address the menace of drug abuse in Nigeria,” sponsored by Senator Hussaini Babangida Uba (Jigawa Northwest).
The Senate also mandated its Committee on Drugs and Narcotics to liaise with relevant agencies like NAFDAC, and NDLEA, to convoke a national summit or conference to address the worrisome trend in the country.
Presenting the motion, Senator Uba lamented that illicit drug addiction had deeply permeated the Nigerian society, noting that young people of 15 years and above, were now indulging in heavy narcotic drug intake.
“According to a report by the United Nations Office On Drugs And Crime And the European Union On Drug use in Nigeria, about 14.3 million Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 are drug abusers; 10.6 million addicts were cannabis users, 4.6 addicts used pharmaceutical opioids and 238 thousand drug abusers used amphetamines,” he said.
He expressed concerns that the tragic phenomenon was affecting all strata and demographic groups of Nigeria, stressing the need for governments at all levels and the family unit to work closely to tackle the problem.
The lawmaker, who was visibly worried about the situation, warned that failure to destroy narcotic drug addiction as a country would destroy Nigeria.
“Nigeria is currently facing a rise in drug abuse which has reached an unprecedented level transforming from a mere transit route in the 1990s, into a country filled with drug abusers and drug traffickers all over its land space.
“A significant number of deaths from accidents and violent crimes have been traced to the activities of persons under the influence of drugs especially the discovery of more dangerous substances called “Kurfürstendamm” in the North And “mkpurumiri” in the South.
“The prevalence of drug abuse in Nigeria is a public health challenge which seems to be on the increase despite intervention by the international, regional, federal and state bodies through laws, policies and technical support,” he said.
In their separate contributions to the motion, Senators agreed that the consequences of drug abuse would continue to endanger national development, public safety and the family system, if urgent action was not taken to strengthen the existing legal, policy and institutional frameworks to face the challenges with all sense of responsibility.
They also requested that the National Universities Commission (NUC) should include special drug education as a compulsory course in the general studies programme.
The Lawmakers also directed the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), to review the Nigerian Curriculum for basic and secondary education to include special drug education as a compulsory subject in schools.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio, urged the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics to liaise with relevant agencies like NAFDAC, and NDLEA to convoke a national summit or conference to address the problem.
