Worried by the prevalence of drug abuse among women and girls in Nigeria, the House of Representatives Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development is currently holding a regional seminar on the prevalence of drug abuse among women in Nigeria.
The two-day North Central Women National Sensitisation Workshop convened with the theme “Community participation, critical stakeholders support, and House of Representatives Committee on Women’s Affairs as essential partner in the fight against insecurity, drug abuse, trafficking, and violence against women and children in our society,” is being held in Minna, the Niger State capital.
Speaking on increasing drug abuse among women and young girls in Nigeria, the Chairman of, the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Kafilat Ogbara called for a declaration of a state of emergency on the issue.
“Insecurity, drug abuse and violence against women and children are not isolated problems but are interconnected challenges that require a comprehensive effort.
“Drug abuse should be declared an emergency. Children in secondary schools take drugs, housewives take drugs, the men are busy, and they don’t know what is going on.
“Once we can tackle drug abuse, insecurity will be halfway addressed.”
On the part of the National Assembly, the committee chairman said that the legislators are committed to eliminating the vices through the right legislation.
“On our part as legislators, we are using the tools available to us which is legislative intervention to ensure these vices are reduced if not eliminated.
“The ninth house of assembly is promoting punitive measures to curb these vices,” she said.
Also speaking, the Chairman, of the Nigerian Spouses Wives Forum, and wife of Kwara state governor, Prof. Olufolake Abdulrazaq said that the forum intends to bolster community participation and stakeholder collaboration in addressing the menace of insecurity and drug abuse.
The Chairperson, represented by the Wife of the Niger State Governor, Fatima Bago identified drug trafficking as another pressing issue fuelling the drug epidemic among Nigeria’s female population.
Citing official statistics from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Chairperson explained that Nigeria’s female population are contributing to the high prevalence of substance use disorder in the country.
“The NDLEA reported that over 40 per cent of Nigerian youth engage in drug abuse, a sizeable number of these statistics are women contributing to the high prevalence of substance use disorder
“In 2018, a UNODC survey found that 1 in 7 persons aged 15 to 64 years used a drug other than tobacco and alcohol in the past year in Nigeria.
“It also determined that among every four drug users, one is a woman.”
Speaking further on the correlation of drug abuse to other social vices, she suggested a multi-faceted approach that encompasses prevention and treatment for drug users.
“While it (drug abuse) influences criminal behaviour such as theft, armed robbery, cult violence, prostitution and rape, the terrorists, mass kidnappers and murderers ravaging across the country are heavy users as well.
“Unfeted access to these illicit substances no doubt fuels insecurity and poses a threat to the security of the country.
“There is therefore a need to increase investment in prevention programs that target vulnerable groups including women, and young children in schools and communities as well as a standard access to services for those suffering from addiction.”
Similarly, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji called for collaboration among stakeholders to tackle the vices.
The speaker, represented at the event by the deputy speaker of the house, Afiniki Dauda assured that the Niger state house of Assembly will support the campaign and whatever initiative that may be borne by the deliberations.
Declaring the workshop open, the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago committed to supporting the initiatives that would come up at the end of the workshop.
