A University Don, Dr Aliyu Abubakar of Ahmadu Bello
University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, has said that the youths account
for over 85 per cent of mad people in Nigeria.
Abubakar made the remark in a paper he presented at a
sensitisation workshop for youths organised by Bizara Youth Development
Association in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State entitled: “Drug
Abuse in Nigeria: Causes, Effects and Solutions.”
He said: “according to a recent study, 85 per cent of mad
people in Nigeria are youths within the age bracket of 18-38 years.
The major cause of mental challenge in Nigeria has gone
beyond drug-abuse as the youths now inhale lizard feces, putting their noses
into pit toilets, smoking matches, smoking dried horse feces and mixing lizard
feces with dye powder.
Drug abuse disorder is a common problem affecting about 5
per cent of the of the world population with an estimated 10.2 per cent in the
USA.”
He recalled that in Nigeria, it was recently reported that
about three million bottles of cough syrup containing codeine is consumed daily
in Kano State and about six million bottles consumed in the North-West.
Abubakar added that in 2016, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency reported
that about 40 per cent of Nigerian youths engaged in drug-abuse.
The medical doctor stressed that the consequences of
drug-abuse include mental disorder, liver cirrhosis, lethargy and
cardiovascular disorder among others. Abubakar added that those abusing drugs
mostly drop out of school, engage in cultism, violence, arm-robbery, thuggery,
rape, lawlessness, murders and are culturally disorientated.
This is alarming.
It's not enough to reel out statistics, we need standard rehab centres in Nigeria.
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