War On Hard Drugs Has Failed In Nigeria – Professor Obot

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

The fight against illicit drugs in Nigeria may have failed as posited by renowned Professor Isidor Obot. Professor Obot stated that it was due to personal interests and benefits of security agents, banks and the dealers on the substances.

He noted that the security agencies were not doing enough for the drug fight to succeed due to the endemic corruption which had spread to the banking sector as they reportedly aided the dealers for financial benefits.

This was the submission of Professor Obot during a training of media practitioners organised by a non-governmental organization, Youth Rise Nigeria.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that some journalists were nominated by the organization in conjunction with the United Nations agency on drugs for the special training. The journalists gathered from various states of the federation for the programme which took place at Valencia Hotel, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Obot also revealed that there was no data to ascertain the actual number of dealers, users and the victims of the substances, in order to determine whether there was an increase or decrease on drug users and crimes in Nigeria.
However, he revealed that there were plans from the academic institutions in Nigeria under the sponsorship of the United Nations agency for drugs to actually get the real data of both the users and dealers, which he promised that the outcome will soon be made public.

Some of the participants including the civil society groups, during the training had discussions on why the drug war has not progressively moved on in Nigeria. They attributed it to the attitude of the policy makers, stakeholders and misinformation on the issue of drugs.

It was also observed during the training that the users were indiscriminately arrested and detained as criminals as punishment in order to force the users to stop using the substance, which had not been successful due to the approach. The participants agreed that the issue of drug users should be treated as health related matters as was being done in other countries like Ghana and assist the victims instead of punishing them. They also urged the public to have new orientation on the way victims of substance abusers were treated and not stigmatize them, which had made most of the users not to open up and seek for help to stop it.

The stakeholders called for new narratives on sensitization, language usage and policies that will enhance the fight against use of substances in Nigeria. Some participants who had used the substances in the past revealed their pathetic experience on drugs, its effects on the users and consequences in the society especially among the youths in Nigeria.
They called for change on how the drugs victims were treated in the society as most of the users were seen as criminals whereas they were not.