Last week, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) intercepted and seized truck-loads of banned drugs including tramadol and other drugs worth N5 billion in Lagos. Despite this, KEHINDE OSASONA wonders if Nigeria can win the war against banned drugs.
The tramadol story
Tramadol, though relatively new in Nigerian markets, is used to treat moderate to severe pains, and is available in both injectable and oral forms.
There are reports that the medication was tested for 15 years in Germany before it was approved and brought to the foreign market in 1977 under the name tramal.
Tramadol, Blueprint Weekend gathered, produces euphoria in many users, and the ‘high’ is similar to opioids like morphine and heroin, but not as intense. This, it was further learnt, can lead to physical and mental dependence and severe withdrawal symptoms.
Drug abuse, matters arising
It is no longer news that drug users in Nigeria (mostly youth) engage in abusive intake of all manners of banned substances to the detriment of their health.
Some of the new acts include; inhaling dry faeces, mixing bleach with soft drinks, smoking lizard dung among other mysterious deeds, just for the pleasure of it or in a bid to prepare themselves ahead of devilish acts.
Drugs of different descriptions like benzodiazepines, barbiturates, methadone, oxycodone, tramadol, codeine, morphine among others; chemicals and illegal drugs such as cannabis or marijuana, opiates, heroines, stimulants such as methamphetamines and cocaine as well as hallucinogens.
These drugs are being heavily abused and are now being bandied open markets in places like joints, clubs, hide-outs or ram-shackled places bubbling with the sales and consumption of such drugs.
More worrisome is the fact that drugs are now done everywhere; there is hardly any tertiary institution or even primary and secondary schools that are free of drug abusers.
Consequently, experts have expressed worry that the ugly trend may lead to an irreversible lethal effect on the country’s larger population if not addressed.
They are of the view that the rise in the intake of these banned substances is rapidly destroying the future of the country, as many young promising lives are destroyed by drugs daily.
In Kano state, for instance, unconfirmed reports had it that about three million codeine-containing cough syrups are consumed daily and about six million bottles in the North-west of the country.
National survey
Similarly, the current 2018 National Survey on Drug Use in Nigeria presented by the federal government in Abuja recently shows that 14.3 million people, representing approximately 14.4 per cent of the country’s population, between the ages of 15 and 64, have abused drugs and substances in the past one year.
During an MTN Foundation’s Anti Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP) roundtable on multi-sectoral approach in curbing substance abuse in Nigeria and the need for intensified collaborative action, held in Lagos recently, a former Commissioner for Health in Lagos state, Dr. Jide Idris, said the “situation is worse than the statistics reveal.”
According to the survey, the menace of drug abuse was more prominent in the South-west, with Lagos and Oyo state taking the lead with about 22.5 per cent of the 14.3 million drug users.
The South-south came second, the South-east third, while the North-central last. The survey, according to the ex-Lagos commissioner, also revealed the fact that the number of drug users in Nigeria in the previous year was higher than international standards of approximately 14.3 million people, which means that the prevalence of drug abuse in the country is more than twice the global average of 5.6 per cent.
Govt’s concerns, action
During the 2019 Children’s Day celebrations in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari, said his administration was in the process of reviewing the National Drug Control Master Plan 2015-2019 with a focus on drug control and consumption.
The president, who was represented by the then Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, said the arrangement was in addition to implementing the plan and addressing the national drug problem.
He said, “The federal government in May 2018, placed restriction on the use, importation and the sale of codeine as a cough syrup without prescription.
“Both National Drug and Law Enforcement Agency and the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control have developed Information, Education and Communication materials for awareness creation nationwide.
“The Federal Ministries of Women Affairs and Social Development, Education and other stakeholders are also conducting public awareness activities about the ills of drug abuse in schools and dangers of drug and substance abuse among children.
“This Administration is very concerned about the impact of drug and substance abuse. As government and parents, we are desirous of building a better future for our children, because children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.
“And if we allow drugs or other ills to destroy our children today, we are destroying our future.”
According to the president, as part of the interventions to ensure a protective and guaranteed future for children, government has constituted a two-tier intervention structure.
“This comprises a high-level Ministerial Committee on the elimination of Drug Abuse for a coordinated response in addressing the challenges posed by drug and substance abuse among the teaming populace.”
President Buhari also urged all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organisations, International Partners, Religious Leaders, and Traditional Rulers, among others, to work together to tackle drug abuse in the country.
“We must commit to addressing the challenges of drug abuse so as to avert the consequences of this social menace and secure a better future for our children and the nation.”
While explaining efforts being made by her ministry, the immediate past Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Abubakar, said the ministry had in the last one year embarked on key transformative programmes to ensure that Nigerian children realised their potentials,
She said, “This is to give effect to the provisions of the Child Right Act, promote the right of the child and improve on their general wellbeing.
‘Destroying the destroyer’
Another report indicates that there are 11,926 drug items and about 200 of them are illicit drugs.
Against this backdrop, just last month, the Nigerian Customs Service in collaboration with NAFDAC, commenced destruction of over N14 billion worth of seized drugs.
Recently too, at a public destruction of drug exhibits in Taraba state command of the NDLEA, the acting commander, Peter Odaudu, said the agency had assembled seven tonnes (6,963.80 kilogrammes) of deadly weeds and psychotropic substances for destruction.
The exhibits which were seized between January 2003 and December 2018, according to Odaudu include cannabis sativa, diazepam, rophynol, cough syrups with codeine and tramadol.
Odaudu was quoted as saying that President Buhari had approved recruitment of 5,000 personnel for the agency to boost its manpower in the fight against drug abuse.
Worried by increased consumption of illicit drugs among the youth, the commandant explained further that the federal government moves would go a long way in improving operations of the agency on campaign against drug addiction in Nigeria.
The big ‘burst’ in Lagos
Just as the fight against drug abuse was yet to simmer, the Lagos interception of tramadol, codeine and other restricted drugs illegally imported into the country at an unknown warehouse in Lagos suddenly became a big story.
The interception of the drugs worth over N5 billion in 21 trailers was made by the Zone A unit of the comptroller-general of Customs strike Force team in Lagos.
Explaining how the drugs were discovered, a deputy controller, and national public relations officer of the Service, Joseph Attah, said the smugglers carried out their acts on the erroneous beliefs that the festive period is a time of merriment and less vigilance.
He said, “On Sunday, August 13, 2019, at about 2am, the operatives of the Headquarters Strike force Zone A intercepted one truck laden with dreaded codeine, tramadol, and other controlled pain killers along Maryland, Ikeja.
“This was immediately brought to the attention of the team leader, Deputy Controller of Customs, Usman Yahaya, who deepened preliminary investigation that led to the discovery of a warehouse along Oshodi-Mile 2 Road stocked with the dreaded tramadol, codeine, and other unregistered pharmaceutical products without NAFDAC numbers.”
The warehouse, according to him, was immediately sealed with a detachment of well-armed officers to guard it.
The spokesman said the comptroller-general of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.), has directed a thorough investigation, with a view to bringing all those connected to the drugs to justice.
Attah said the evacuation of the drugs to the federal operations Unit has commenced, adding that evacuation for custody, subsequent judicial process and destruction will equally follow.
What next?
When contacted to speak on measures in place to stop the drug cartel, who appears to have beaten the security apparatus in place on many occasions, the public relations officer, NCS, DC Joseph Attah, simply told Weekend Blueprint during a visit to his office that a joint security patrol codenamed Ex-swift Response has been put in place.
Attah gave the assurance that the “exercise will promote interagency cooperation and increase preparedness to address trans-border security challenge such as smuggling, terrorism, armed banditry, proliferation of small arms and light weapons, among others.”
He said, “As part of measures to secure Nigeria’s land and maritime borders against importation of illicit drugs and other contrabands, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has collaborated with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security and intelligence agencies with the aim of conducting a joint border security exercise, codenamed Ex-swift Response.
The NCS image maker, who stated this, further said the “joint exercise is being coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and will take place in four geopolitical zones, namely; South-south, South-west, North-central and North-west.”
Expert speaks
Meanwhile, while proffering a way out of the drug menace amongst the youths in the country, an expert in psycho-socio matter and a Guidance and Counseling personality, Christopher Umuteme, attributed the menace to the fact that societal morality and social value has been eroded.
He said, “The problems with the teeming youth of today especially as it relates to drug is that nobody places values on morality, rights or wrongs again. When youth keep abusing drugs, first question to ask is; what is their mindset? Why are they abusing it?
“If you look at the kidnappers and other criminals for instance, they are always on drug as it tends to make them high before embarking on a mission. Their believe is that with that they would have no mercy or change their minds midway during the operation.”
Explaining further, he said in psychology, such drugs are refers to as drugs that ‘dazzle your consequences.’
On the way forward, Umuteme enjoined parents as managers of the number one institution to strive to give models to their children.
He equally cited sensitisation as key, saying government at all levels should rise up to the challenge.
But in the word of relevant stakeholders on the issue, they are of the view that in carrying out effective drug prevention, there must be positive engagement of children, youth and adults with their families, schools, work place, and community.
He advised that all hands must be on deck if really we want to rid our society of the scourge of drug abuse.
