| dc.description.abstract | Drug abuse among Nigerian youths, particularly university undergraduates, has reached alarming proportions. A recent disclosure by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA, 2025), Oyo State Command, revealed that four to five out of ten undergraduates in Nigeria are involved in drug abuse. This growing crisis is not only threatening academic performance and public health but also fuelling insecurity and crime across campuses. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) 2025 report in partnership with the NDLEA, Nigeria has steadily emerged as a major producer, consumer, and distributor of illegal narcotics, despite historically being regarded as a major transit point for drug trafficking. The nation is home to the production, use, and trafficking of several types of narcotics. Methamphetamine, tramadol, codeine, diazepam, and other psychotropic compounds are among the drugs that are trafficked, along with heroin, cocaine, and cannabis. Across the nation, cannabis is widely grown and used for both domestic and international consumption. Methamphetamine and cough syrups containing codeine are among the other substances produced.
Despite the efforts of NDLEA and some government initiatives, systematic gaps in policy enforcement, mental health infrastructure, campus surveillance, and youth rehabilitation persist. This brief examines the underlying factors fuelling the rise in drug abuse among university students, its far-reaching consequences, existing government responses, and proffers actionable policy pathways to combat the menace. To address the underlying factors fuelling the rise in drug abuse among university, this brief hereby recommends the following:
i. The National Assembly, through its oversight functions, may wish to enact legislation requiring all tertiary institutions to adopt and enforce a Drug-Free Campus Policy, including random screening, peer support systems, and counselling;
ii. The Nigerian government may wish to invest more on mental health and addiction counselling services in tertiary institutions;
iii. The need to expand NDLEA’s legal powers to establish permanent anti-drug task forces in all the tertiary institutions in the country. | en_US |
