By Joy Onu
The Federal Government has announced plans to expand addiction treatment and rehabilitation services nationwide while tightening oversight of controlled medicines as part of a broader strategy to curb rising drug abuse in the country.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Ado Bako, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said the government would strengthen screening and treatment for substance use disorders in primary healthcare centres and general hospitals, increase the number of accredited rehabilitation facilities, and train more health workers to provide evidence-based care.
Pate, represented by the Director of the Food and Drug Services Department, Mrs. Olufowobi-Yusuf Adeola, spoke at the Maiden National Drug Use Summit in Abuja, where he said the new approach recognises drug abuse as both a public health and national security challenge, requiring prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and law enforcement to work in tandem.
According to the minister, addiction should be treated as a medical condition rather than viewed solely through the lens of criminality, noting that reducing stigma would encourage more people living with substance use disorders to seek help.
He said the ministry would also strengthen controls across the pharmaceutical supply chain by improving security at warehouses storing narcotic medicines, introducing better inventory management systems and working more closely with regulatory and enforcement agencies to track controlled medicines from procurement to patient use.
Pate stressed that while the government remained committed to combating illicit drug trafficking, it would also ensure that patients suffering from severe pain caused by cancer, surgery, sickle cell disease and other medical conditions continue to have access to essential medicines such as morphine and pethidine.
He described access to pain relief as a critical component of quality healthcare, saying concerns over drug diversion should not deprive patients of legitimate treatment.
The minister cited the 2018 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) survey, which estimated that 14.4 per cent of Nigerians aged between 15 and 64 had used drugs, with cannabis remaining the most widely abused substance. He added that the misuse of prescription opioids, including tramadol and codeine, alongside the emergence of new psychoactive substances, has increased pressure on Nigeria’s health system.
To address the challenge, Pate said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would collaborate with the ministries responsible for education, youth and women affairs to strengthen evidence-based drug prevention campaigns in schools and communities while encouraging state governments to invest more in treatment, rehabilitation and data-driven response plans.
Speaking at the summit, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Dr. Abubakar Ibrahim Kana, said tackling illicit drug use requires the collective efforts of government institutions, families, communities, healthcare providers, security agencies, civil society organisations, faith-based groups, development partners and the private sector.
He warned that substance abuse continues to fuel mental health disorders, family breakdown, school dropout, unemployment and crime, particularly among young people, and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare, promoting mental health and empowering youths under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Earlier, Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the summit as an opportunity to develop a coordinated national response that prioritises prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, stronger data systems and institutional collaboration.
Marwa urged stakeholders to translate deliberations into practical actions capable of reducing drug abuse and protecting future generations.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, represented by the Director of the Narcotics Division, Pharmacist Henrietta Bakura-Onyeneke, said the ministry remains committed to ensuring Nigerians have access to essential controlled medicines while preventing their misuse and diversion.
