The Nationwide Drug Regulation Enforcement Company (NDLEA), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Training, has revealed alarming statistics about youth drug use in Lagos State.
In accordance with a 2024 research performed by each companies, 13.6% of secondary college college students have experimented with medicine, whereas 6.9% are at present utilizing them.
To fight the escalating challenge of substance abuse amongst youths and different weak {groups}, the Lagos State Ministry of Well being spearheaded a high-impact consciousness marketing campaign on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
The occasion, held inside the Lagos State Authorities Secretariat, Alausa-Ikeja, commemorated this yr’s Worldwide Day Towards Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The marketing campaign was organized by the Directorate of Pharmaceutical Providers and the Lagos State Interministerial Drug Abuse Management Committee (LSIDACC), in collaboration with the Nationwide Drug Regulation Enforcement Company (NDLEA).
This yr’s world theme for the day was “Breaking the Chains: Prevention, Remedy, and Restoration for All!”
Addressing members, the Director of Pharmaceutical Providers and Chairperson of LSIDACC, Pharm. (Mrs.) Olawale Poluyi cited alarming world and nationwide drug use figures.
She said that in 2024, over 296 million individuals worldwide used medicine, whereas in Nigeria, 14.4% of people aged 15 to 64, representing 14.3 million people, had used psychoactive substances, with many experiencing substance use problems.
Poluyi harassed that “In Lagos State alone, a 2024 research performed by the NDLEA and Federal Ministry of Training discovered that 13.6% of secondary college college students had experimented with medicine, with 6.9% recognized as present customers”.
She emphasised that these figures characterize not simply statistics, however shattered lives and weakened communities.
In accordance with her, drug dependancy is a rising public well being disaster that calls for science-driven, empathetic options, not punishment or stigmatization.
“Right now isn’t just about consciousness. It’s a day of renewed dedication. Drug dependancy shouldn’t be essentially an ethical failure; it’s a medical situation. And it should be handled as such,” Poluyi declared.
The director outlined the multifaceted causes of drug abuse, from emotional trauma and peer stress to boredom and curiosity, urging stakeholders to advertise more healthy alternate options comparable to counseling, vocational abilities, faith-based engagement, and sports activities.
“Individuals flip to medicine for various causes, however we should guarantee there are higher shops, protected areas the place they will heal, be taught, develop, and be supported,” she mentioned.
Poluyi additionally highlighted the essential position of pharmacists and different healthcare professionals in combating drug abuse, noting duties comparable to prescription monitoring, public training, early intervention, and guaranteeing protected disposal of medicines.
“Pharmacists usually are not simply dispensers; they’re gatekeepers within the struggle in opposition to misuse. We should all play our half,” she harassed.
Different dignitaries current on the occasion included Director of Epidemiology, Biosecurity and World Well being, Dr. Ismail Abdus-Salam; Director of LASAMBUS, Mrs. Wuraola Makinde; Director of Household Well being and Diet, Dr. Folashade Oludara, and representatives from the Public Enlightenment Division of the Ministry of Data and Technique.
Contributors on the occasion echoed the significance of multi-sectoral collaboration and applauded the Lagos State Authorities for prioritizing prevention and youth engagement in its anti-drug campaigns.
In closing, Pharm. Poluyi referred to as on healthcare professionals, dad and mom, educators, and group leaders to collectively embrace consciousness, prevention, and rehabilitation because the sustainable path ahead.
“Allow us to break the chains of stigma, silence, and struggling. Collectively, we are able to construct a future the place remedy is accessible, restoration is well known, and nobody is left behind,” she affirmed.
The Worldwide Day Towards Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, established by the United Nations in 1987, is noticed yearly on June twenty sixth to strengthen world motion and cooperation towards a drug-free world.
