By: Henry Tyohemba
The chairman/chief executive officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, has warned Nigerian students against drug abuse.
He cautioned that a momentary high could permanently derail their future.
Marwa gave the warning yesterday while delivering a drug sensitisation lecture at the combined 29th and 30th convocation of Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja.
He congratulated the graduands for completing their academic journey, describing convocation as both a celebration of hard work and a moment for deep reflection on their life choices.
He, however, stressed that beyond the joy of graduation lies a growing threat to the nation’s youth, drug abuse.
Speaking on the theme, “High Today, Lost Tomorrow: The Real Cost of Drug Abuse on Campus,” Marwa said many students, in a bid to cope with academic pressure, social expectations or emotional stress, often resort to drugs, unaware of the long-term consequences.
“In the quest for academic stamina, social acceptance, or an escape from stress, many students reach for the pill, a smoke or a liquid fix.
"They seek a temporary path to navigate the rigours of university life, unaware that they are trading their permanent future for a fleeting moment of euphoria. Across Nigeria, and indeed globally, drug abuse has quietly infiltrated our campuses.
“What begins as curiosity, peer pressure, or the desire to cope with stress often evolves into dependency. Students, bright, promising, full of potential, find themselves trapped in cycles of addiction. Substances such as cannabis, codeine-based syrups, tramadol, and synthetic drugs are increasingly misused and have found their way into our campuses,” he lamented.
He noted that what begins as curiosity or peer pressure frequently develops into dependency, trapping young people in cycles of addiction.
The NDLEA boss also cited data from the 2018 National Drug Use and Health Survey, which showed that Nigeria has a drug use prevalence of 14.4 per cent, nearly three times the global average.
According to him, substance abuse among young Nigerians had long been underestimated, but emerging statistics and enforcement records now reveal a far deeper crisis.
He disclosed that over 60 per cent of more than 77,000 drug offenders arrested in the past five years were youths, some as young as 15, while the majority of those receiving treatment and counselling in NDLEA facilities are also young people.
Marwa explained that drug use among students is often driven by a growing culture that normalises getting high, with many youths seeing it as fashionable and harmless.
Cannabis, he said, remains the most widely used drug, accounting for over 70 per cent of the 14.8 million kilogrammes of drugs seized by the agency between 2021 and 2025.
The NDLEA chairman further outlined the consequences of substance abuse, including academic decline, mental health challenges, broken relationships and exposure to crime and violence.
“Do not let a moment of high destroy your future,” he warned the students.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi, said the lecture was part of efforts to sensitise students to the dangers of drug abuse, describing the menace as a major challenge facing society.
He noted that young people remain both the primary victims and drivers of the problem, adding that urgent and collective action is needed to curb the trend.(Leadership)
