Nigeria has 15m drug users, says Marwa

Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse, Buba Marwa, has said of Nigeria’s estimated population, there are 15 million drug users.

Marwa, a former military governor of Lagos State, referred to the development as alarming adding that the global average rating of drug use, abuse is five per cent while in Nigeria, it is about 15 percent.

Marwa who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, in the company of members of his committee, when paid a courtesy call by the FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello, said the committee is working assiduously to bring forth recommendations on how to resolve the crisis of drug abuse in the country.

Marwa noted that the committee has been engaging various stakeholders who have a role to play in the Elimination of Drug Abuse in the country, adding they have interfaced with the NDLEA, customs, police, NAFDAC, Ministers of Health and education as well as regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical council and patent medicine dealers association of Nigeria.The FCT Minister called for more funding for the NDLEA to improve manpower and equipment to realize its core mandate.