• Warns students against abuse at UniAbuja convocation
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raised serious concerns over the growing rate of cannabis consumption in Nigeria, revealing that an estimated 10.6 million people are currently using the substance countrywide.

The anti-narcotics agency warned that the rising number of cannabis users posed significant public health and security challenges, stressing that urgent and coordinated efforts were needed to curb the trend.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Mohammed Buba Marwa, stated this on yesterday at the Drug Awareness and Sensitisation Lecture at the combined 29th and 30th convocation ceremony of Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja.

Speaking on the topic, “High Today, Low Tomorrow: The Real Cost of Drug Abuse on Campus”, the guest lecturer warned Nigerian students against drug abuse, cautioning that a momentary high could permanently derail their future.

He commended the graduating students for successfully concluding their academic pursuits, noting that a convocation ceremony was not only a celebration of diligence and achievement but also a time to reflect deeply on future decisions and life paths.

The NDLEA boss also cited data from the 2018 National Drug Use and Health Survey, which showed that Nigeria had a drug use prevalence of 14.4 per cent, nearly three times the global average.

He noted that the drug landscape had shifted from traditional substances like cannabis to a complex web of synthetic opioids and designer drugs like Colorado, Loud, and Methamphetamine, while expressing concern over the use of social networks for drug distribution and the involvement of students in trafficking.

According to him, there is a correlation between constructed-reality about getting intoxicated and the actual abuse of substances by young people, saying the National Drug Use and Health Survey report of 2018 was an open aperture on the use of psychoactive substances for non-medical purposes by Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64.

Marwa concluded by commending the leadership of the University of Abuja for their partnership with NDLEA in strengthening campus surveillance and urged all academic institutions to intensify drug education during orientation programmes and in lecture halls.