In every major Nigerian city today, the signs are unmistakable — a generation of young people quietly slipping through the cracks of drug dependence and addiction. Behind the statistics and seizures are real lives, families, and futures being lost daily to a problem that no longer hides in dark corners.
By Omonon Chidi-Nwafor
In every major Nigerian city today, the signs are unmistakable — a generation of young people quietly slipping through the cracks of drug dependence and addiction. Behind the statistics and seizures are real lives, families, and futures being lost daily to a problem that no longer hides in dark corners.
We have been fighting this war for years, but one uncomfortable question still demands an honest answer: Are we truly winning?
The Scale of the Crisis:
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made impressive strides in recent years. Between January 2021 and March 2025, the agency arrested over 62,500 drug suspects, secured 11,600 convictions, and seized more than 10 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs nationwide. It also destroyed over 1,300 hectares of cannabis farms and reached nearly four million Nigerians through its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns.
These are commendable achievements — evidence of a reinvigorated NDLEA under focused leadership. Yet, they also tell a deeper story: if arrests and seizures are increasing, so too is the scale of the problem. The drug economy in Nigeria is resilient, adaptive, and fed by powerful social and economic drivers that law enforcement alone cannot suppress.
Beyond Arrests and Awareness:
For years, the fight against drug abuse has leaned heavily on two fronts: enforcement and awareness. Both are vital, but neither alone is sufficient. We cannot arrest our way out of addiction, nor can we merely “sensitise” our way to behavioural change.
The NDLEA’s operations have certainly disrupted supply chains and sent strong deterrent signals, yet the demand side — the reasons young Nigerians turn to drugs — remains inadequately addressed. Unemployment, despair, broken family systems, peer influence, and mental health challenges are pushing more youth toward substance use as an escape.
Drug abuse is not just a crime; it is a public health emergency intertwined with economic and social decay. The true cost is seen in lost productivity, fractured families, and overcrowded rehabilitation centres ill-equipped to handle the rising tide of dependence.
The Power of Partnerships:
No single agency can win this war alone. The NDLEA’s partnership model — working with NGOs, schools, faith-based institutions, and the private sector — represents the right direction.
Organizations like the Flag Foundation of Nigeria (FFN) have stepped up by promoting patriotism, civic responsibility, and national values among youth. Their campaigns remind young people that self-worth and national pride are antidotes to destructive habits.
Similarly, the MTN Foundation’s Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP), in collaboration with NDLEA and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), targets Nigerians aged 10–25, combining education, counselling, and community engagement. These partnerships demonstrate what a multi-stakeholder model looks like: enforcement meets empathy; awareness meets opportunity.
Still, the question remains — are these initiatives consistent, scalable, and measurable? Too often, well-intentioned campaigns fizzle out after media attention wanes, leaving behind no data to assess real impact.
What the Numbers Don’t Show:
When we measure progress only through arrests and seizures, we miss the bigger picture — the lives rebuilt, the relapses prevented, and the communities healed.
How many of those arrested find rehabilitation and reintegration support? How many addicts seeking help actually get treatment, rather than stigma? How many schools have sustained anti-drug education embedded in their curriculum, not just occasional seminars?
These are the metrics that truly define success. The silence around them reveals a gap: our response is still more reactive than preventive, more punitive than restorative.
The Missing Links:
Several challenges continue to undermine progress:
Fragmented coordination: Drug control efforts vary widely across states, with uneven political commitment and resources.
Weak rehabilitation infrastructure: Many treatment centres are overcrowded, underfunded, and concentrated in urban areas. Rural youth, who are equally vulnerable, remain underserved.
Data deficiency: Reliable national data on prevalence, relapse, and recovery outcomes are scarce. Without accurate metrics, policymaking becomes guesswork.
Short-term programming: Many interventions rely on donor or seasonal funding, making them unsustainable once media or funding cycles end.
Socioeconomic triggers: Poverty, joblessness, and urban dislocation continue to fuel vulnerability. Without addressing these root causes, prevention efforts risk being cosmetic.
A Shift in Strategy:
To truly win this war, Nigeria must evolve from a model of activity to one of impact. Here are key priorities:
Invest in prevention early: Introduce life-skills and anti-substance education in primary and secondary schools. Prevention must start before exposure.
Expand rehabilitation and reintegration: Addiction recovery must be seen as a continuum — from detox to reintegration into jobs, schools, and communities.
Adopt data-driven policymaking: Develop a centralised database to track addiction trends, relapse rates, and intervention success stories.
Leverage community and identity: Institutions like the Flag Foundation can strengthen civic identity and belonging — vital protective factors against substance abuse.
Use technology and social media: Reach young people where they are. Harness influencers, gamified learning, and digital counselling to reshape narratives about drugs.
Hold stakeholders accountable: Every campaign and project should have measurable targets — not just photos, slogans, or hashtags.
Winning the Human Battle:
Drug abuse is not just a policy challenge — it’s a human crisis. Behind every arrest statistic is a young man or woman who once had dreams, potential, and purpose. The measure of national progress should not be how many we arrest, but how many we rescue, rehabilitate, and restore.
The NDLEA’s gains are undeniable and deserve commendation. But for Nigeria to win this war, we must broaden the battlefield — from the streets and courtrooms to classrooms, communities, and clinics.
It is time to move from awareness to accountability, from enforcement to empowerment, and from punishment to prevention.
Only when we begin to heal the pain behind the addiction can we truly celebrate the NDLEA’s gains as Nigeria’s collective victory.
Omonon is a Counselor/Recovery Coach and Head of Programs at Flag Foundation of Nigeria,
Contact: omydel@yahoo.com, 07069288295