22 per cent of adults in southwest are on drugs –Marwa

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*Marwa

Ime Akpan

The chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Elimination of Drugs Abuse, Gen. Buba Marwa has said that about 15 million adult Nigerians are on drugs with the southwest geo-political zone topping the record with 22 per cent.

Marwa who stated this during a courtesy visit to the governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Muhammadu Bindow in Yola, said south-south zone is second with 17 per cent cases while the southeast and the northeast take the third and fourth position with 15 and 13.8 per cent respectively.

He also said the northeast comes fifth with 13.4 per cent while the north central zone takes the sixth position with 8 per cent.

He also said that no fewer than one million killer and fake patent medicine stores are in the country stressing that the development poses a great danger to the lives of over 180 million Nigerians.  

“So far, there are over one million unregistered and killer patent medicine stores across Nigeria.

“Also only about 58,000 of such stores are registered in 36 states and Abuja,” he said.

He expressed concern that the rate of drug abuse in all parts of Nigeria was on the increase, adding that “there is a need for holistic joint efforts to eliminate the menace.”

He urged state governments to set up permanent and standard rehabilitation centres to take care of the high number of drug addicts requiring help.

In his remarks, Bindow, who was represented by the acting governor, Mr. Martins Babale, expressed appreciation to the federal government for constituting the advisory committee.

He called for the declaration of a state of emergency on drug abuse in the country noting that drug abuse situation in Nigeria had assumed a disturbing dimension and requires a holistic approach to tackle it.

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