Marwa Decries Rise In Drug Use Among Youths

Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, has raised the alarm over the prevalence of drug use among Nigerian youths, especially those between the ages of 15 and 29.

Marwa spoke in Ilorin at a drug prevention and treatment care  training organised by the Kwara State government for teachers of public secondary schools in the state.

According to the 2018 National Drug Use Survey conducted by the UNODC, an estimated 14.3 million Nigerians aged 1564 years had used drugs in the preceding year. This is almost three times the global average. What is even more troubling is that one in five drug users in Nigeria suffers from drug use disorders and requires treatment.

“The prevalence of drug use among young people, particularly those between the ages of 15 and 29, is a growing concern,” Marwa said.

Marwa who was represented by the deputy director, Drug Demand Reduction at the NDLEA headquarters, Mohammed Bashir Ibrahim, lamented that schools which were supposed to be safe spaces for learning and development, were  increasingly becoming environments where drug exposure and experimentation occurred. Marwa Decries Rise In Drug Use Among Youths