Drug abuse threatens Nigeria’s development, FG warns

The Federal Government has issued a stark warning that drug abuse and illicit trafficking represent a direct threat to Nigeria's national development. The government emphasized that combating this menace is a shared responsibility, extending beyond any single agency or sector and demanding a unified national response.

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It is a glaring call to every Nigerian in government and out of government to recognise that the fight against illicit drugs is not the burden of one agency, not the burden of one ministry, not the burden indeed of one sector alone. It is a national responsibility that calls for a national response.

Speaking at the National Drug Use Summit in Abuja, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, represented by Ibrahim Kana, highlighted the pervasive nature of the problem. He stated that drug use and trafficking have escalated into major global threats impacting public health, national security, social cohesion, and economic development, with Nigeria being significantly affected. The devastating toll includes rising mental illness, broken families, interrupted education, unemployment, and increased crime.

Akume specifically pointed to young Nigerians as the most vulnerable demographic. He warned that their exposure to addiction is not just a personal tragedy for affected families but a direct threat to the nation's future development. The growing links between drug trafficking and organized crime, such as violent extremism, banditry, kidnapping, and money laundering, were also a major concern, as these networks exploit community vulnerabilities.

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Their vulnerability to drug abuse and addiction is not merely a personal tragedy for each affected family. It is a direct threat to our national development.

The Secretary stressed that substance use disorders are complex health and social challenges, not solely criminal justice issues. He called for a "whole-of-government" and "whole-of-society" approach, involving families, communities, schools, healthcare providers, security agencies, the private sector, faith-based organizations, and civil society. Enhanced intelligence sharing, inter-agency collaboration, improved research, and resilient community responses are crucial. Akume concluded that sustainable national development is impossible when the youth population is threatened by drug abuse and addiction.

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No single institution, however capable, can address this problem in isolation. What is required, therefore, is a whole-of-government approach, a whole-of-society approach.