FG urged to increase funding to fight drug abuse, trafficking

From Nicholas Kalu, Abuja

The African Council on Narcotics (ACON) and the Nigeria Reconnect Health Development Initiative (RHDI) have called for more funding by the Federal Government to fight drug abuse and illicit trafficking in the country.

A statement by the President of ACON, Mr Rekpene Bassey, and Country Director of RHDI, Dr. Dayyabah Shaibu, in Abuja, stressed the need to improve funding for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) and other official and non-governmental organization involved in the fight.

The statement which was in commemoration of the International Day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking pointed out that in Nigeria nearly 15 percent of the adult population have been reported to use psychoactive drug substances.

They urged the government to invest more in new mechanism that can help in tackling the increasing cases of drugs and substance abuse among Nigerian youths.

They also called on the government to separate Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) from NDLEA as a primary function which should be vested on another agency and also commission a comprehensive national survey on substance abuse and mental health issues in Nigeria.

The statement noted that the theme for the 2020 International Day on June 26, “Better Knowledge for Better Care”, emphasizes the need to improve the understanding of the world drug problem and how in turn, better knowledge will foster greater international cooperation for countering its impact on health.

“Drug abuse is a public health as well as a social problem. The abuse of drugs and psychoactive substances among adolescents and adults is an issue of global concern, partly because of its potential to contribute to inadvertent and deliberate injury.

“Drug abuse impedes the development of any society and is a threat to life, health, dignity and prosperity of all individuals, communities and governments.

“While the problem of drug abuse knows no boundaries or social class, persons that abuse drugs have a higher prevalence of psycho-social problems and disorders depending on the type of substance abused and the degree of involvement.

“The questions still for discuss are have government and stakeholders done enough to provide information and care about drug abuse, or is it a case of putting the cart before the horse?

“Shouldn’t tackling of the drug problem go beyond enforcement and punishing of users of illicit substances through information dissemination and education?

“Even so, it is imperative to analyze what the debate is. Is drug abuse a Legal, Health or a Social problem? If it is all three, have the current approach to addressing the menace been effective?

“The association between mental health and substance abuse is widely reported, hence the need for periodic screening and evaluation using drug test kit.

“The financial health care burden drug abuse places on the Gross Domestic Product of a country is alarming as it is a phenomenon that extends across socioeconomic, cultural, religious and ethnic boundaries,” it read.

They also called on the government to furnish up drug abuse rehabilitation centers at all major referral hospitals and ensure drug test kits are available and accessible.

The government was also urged to establish partnerships with organizations and civil society to disseminate information and promote the health of the population.

They called for the introduction of yearly certification for testing of early risk factors for substance abuse among young people.

They also said the government should introduce drug abuse education in the curricula for primary and secondary schools throughout Nigeria, as well as step up the fight against corruption as part of the mechanism for illicit drug interdiction.