Felix Mbata, Lagos state
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has declared that drug abuse on Nigerian campuses has reached crisis levels, warning graduating students of the University of Abuja that the fleeting euphoria of illicit substances carries a devastating, lifelong cost. Delivering the Public Lecture for the institution’s 29th and 30th Combined Convocation Ceremony on Tuesday, Marwa stressed that “Nigeria needs your talent, energy, and sober mind to lead us into the next decade”, and urged youths to reject drugs to secure their futures.
Speaking on the topic “High Today, Lost Tomorrow: The Real Cost of Drug Abuse on Campus,” Marwa said substance abuse has moved from “a street challenge to a lecture hall problem,” with the drug landscape shifting dangerously from traditional cannabis to a complex web of synthetic opioids and designer drugs like Colorado, Loud, and Methamphetamine. He expressed concern over the use of social networks for drug distribution and the growing involvement of students in trafficking.
“A criminal record for drug offences is a life sentence on your career before it even begins. You cannot practice law, medicine, or engineering with a drug-related conviction,” Marwa warned. He explained that beyond hijacking neurotransmitters and eroding memory and critical thinking, drug abuse is the “twin brother of cultism and campus violence.” Arrest and conviction, he noted, end professional aspirations because the Agency maintains a zero-tolerance policy.
Citing the 2018 National Drug Use and Health Survey, Marwa said Nigerians aged 25 to 39 were most indicted for substance abuse, with initiation often occurring at about 19 years. “Unfortunately, today, we even see kids who are below 15 and 10 already experimenting with illicit substances,” he lamented. NDLEA data shows that of 77,859 drug offenders arrested in the past five years, over 60% were young people, some as young as 15. Similarly, majority of the 48,836 drug users counselled and treated in NDLEA facilities within the same period were overwhelmingly youths.
Addressing the graduating class directly, Marwa said: “You are about to enter a world that is AI-Powered and Fintech-driven. There is no room for a clouded mind in a fast-paced world. Choose your circle. Peer pressure is the primary gateway. If your friends require you to be ‘high’ to belong, you are in the wrong company. And as you receive your degrees, remember that character comes before learning.”
He emphasized that drug abuse does not affect only the user. “It ripples outward: families suffer emotional and financial strain; institutions face reputational damage; society bears the burden of lost productivity and increased crime; while a nation cannot thrive when its youth—its greatest asset—are compromised.” He linked substance abuse directly to crime, insisting society must not treat drug issues with levity.
Marwa commended the leadership of the University of Abuja for partnering with NDLEA to strengthen campus surveillance and urged all academic institutions to intensify drug education during orientation programmes and in lecture halls. “We must surmount the substance abuse challenge. Success in this assignment will give us assurances that our youths will reach the greatness of the future. Failure will leave the younger generation stranded in the wilderness of life where the future becomes a mirage,” he concluded.
Dignitaries at the lecture included the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Senator Olanrewaju Tejuoso; Vice Chancellor, Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi; Council Member, Dr. Adedeji Adefuye; senior officials of the university; students; and senior officers of NDLEA.