Lack of resources and regulations, coupled with ease of access, have caused the country’s growing problem.
Like many countries around the world, Nigeria has been hit hard by the opioid crisis. There has been a significant rise in use especially among young people and vulnerable populations throughout the region. Drugs such as tramadol, codeine, morphine, and pentazocine are widely available and frequently misused, and this growing issue demands immediate policy interventions focused on protecting protect health.
In Nigeria, opioid abuse affects both urban and rural areas where educational and healthcare resources are limited. The prevalence of opioid misuse was recorded at 14.4% in 2019, and this number continues to rise year after year. Easy access to opioids, often sold without prescriptions, has led to a widespread addiction problem. Cultural attitudes also play a role in whether a community is impacted; in some communities, drug use is normalized as a means of coping with stress, while in others, there is significant stigma surrounding it.
Nigeria’s healthcare system has been struggling to keep up with the growing number of people dealing with opioid addiction. There are limited treatment centers, and many healthcare professionals lack adequate training in addiction medicine. This shortage of resources hinders the ability to provide effective treatment, prevention, and early intervention, leading to a high rate of overdose fatalities in numerous areas.
“The problem is really huge,” said Marcus Ayuba, head of a unit run by Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) that deals with drug dependency. He runs an NDLEA drug treatment center in Maiduguri, the state capital where, by his own estimate, one in three young people are addicted to Tramadol, a prescription opioid used to relieve pain, the illicit form of which has infiltrated much of the country.
“People have lost everything,” he added. “They are young people who were basically farmers, they’ve lost their farms, their homes.”
Despite the government’s efforts to regulate the sale of opioids, enforcement has been weak to say the least. The black market for opioids continues to thrive, and law enforcement’s focus on criminalization has done little to reduce the supply and demand for these drugs. In many cases, those addicted are further marginalized by the punitive approach, which focuses on punishment rather than treatment and rehabilitation.
Nigeria needs more treatment centers equipped with evidence-based practices that address both the physical and psychological aspects of addiction. Harm-reduction strategies, such as providing clean needles and supervised injection sites, can help reduce health risks, and decriminalizing drug use would effectively reduce the stigma surrounding addiction, encouraging more individuals to seek help without fear of legal consequences.
If anything, stricter regulations governing the sale and distribution of opioids must be enforced to curtail some of the issue. At the same time, public health campaigns need to raise awareness of the dangers of opioid misuse, particularly in high-risk communities, and international resources are likely to be needed to fund the expansion of treatment options and other healthcare resources.
Without initiatives to combat Nigeria’s opioid crisis, the problem will only get worse. Many more people will lose their livelihoods to addiction – and, eventually, their lives.
Sources:
The opioid crisis in Nigeria: a call for public health and policy interventions
Nigeria’s Tramadol crisis: The drug fuelling death, despair and Boko Haram
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