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From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
Following the shocking revelation that about 14.3 percent of the 200 million Nigerians use and abuse substances, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said the way forward is to treat the affected persons rather than putting them behind bars.
Project Officer of UNODC, Dr. Akanidomo Ibanga stated this in Kaduna on Tuesday while representing the Office at a capacity-building training for operatives of Kaduna Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (KADBUSA).
He lamented that 14.3 percent of Nigerians have used drugs within the past years, “that is 14.4 million people. Now, that is three times more than the global average. We have a serious drug problem on our hands.
To him, “the Nigerian situation is peculiar because it has a drug problem, again it doesn’t have enough treatment facilities to handle the issues of people that have drug disorders.
“This date is even 2018 data. From that time till date, the number of people using drugs has probably increased. Projections from WHO and UNODC are that there will be a 40 percent increase in drug use by 2030 in Africa, and Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, which means it will have most of the number.
“So, we are saying that we are sitting on a time bomb because comes 2030, we are talking about 20 percent prevalence, that is, one in every five people you meet on the street.
“There are certain things we can do to avert this. UNODC has evolved certain responses and developed certain models. We are hoping that these models can be run by both National and state governments.
“There is also a need for us to develop more policies that will address the situation. There is a need for us to look for alternatives to persuasion so that for people with drug disorders who come in contact with the criminal justice system, it is better to treat them than to send them to prison.
“So, there are several things that we have on the ground that are evidence-based. There is a need for us to adopt them and tell them out nationally”.
Earlier, the Director-General of KADBUSA, Joseph Ike said, the training which is in alignment with Governor Uba Sani’s administration’s agenda which emphasizes Human Capital Development and Citizens’ Engagement, is also important for diligently carrying out the important mandate of the Bureau.
