Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the last election, Peter Obi, yesterday decried the high level of drug abuse among youths in Nigeria.
Obi lamented that 14.4 percent of Nigerians aged between 15 and 64 years abuse drugs as against the global average of 5.6 percent according to the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime in Nigeria.
Obi, who stated this while marking the International Day Against Drug Trafficking, listed leadership failure, poverty, high unemployment and peer-group pressure among youths, as some of the main factors fuelling drugs and substance abuse among the youths.
Obi on his twitter handle said “On this International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, we are reminded of the lingering menace of drug abuse among our youths and the need to take consistent actions to defeat it.
“A report by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime in Nigeria indicates that 14.4% of Nigerians aged between 15 and 64 years abuse drugs. This is significantly higher than the global average of 5.6%.
“The leadership failure in the country, high rate of poverty and frustration, peer-group pressure among the youths, high rate of unemployment etc, are some of the main factors fuelling drugs and substance abuse among the youths.”
Stressing that the attendant health conditions that result from drug abuse are unimaginable, he listed them to include an epidemic of mental health cases and incidents of suicidal behaviour among youth.
While he appreciated the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for its tireless efforts in combating the drug abuse menace in the country, Obi said, “more needs to be done by the government in rescuing the youths – our productive workforce from further slide into drug addiction.
“By not stigmatising our people who have fallen into drug addiction, and putting measures in place to prevent more people from getting caught in the deadly web, we will gradually stamp out this societal ill.
“I have always maintained that the New Nigeria will be anchored on our youth population and productivity. We must ensure that our youths are free from all forms of drug abuse and trafficking in illicit substances. -PO” he said.
