Nigeria ranks highest in Drug Use Prevalence, UNO tells NASS

Says it has 14.3% rate as against 5.3% global index

By Henry Umoru

THE United Nations Organisation, UNO, yesterday told the National Assembly that Nigeria has been categorised as the highest in Drug use prevalence rate in the world with 14.3% as against 5.3% for the entire global community.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a one-day sensitization workshop on Drug Abuse and Rape organised by Christabel’s Initiatives and facilitated by the Senate and House of Representatives joint committee on Narcotic Drugs, the National Programme Officer of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Mrs. Folusho Ajayi Adelekan said that available statistics showed that there are 14.4million drug users in Nigeria and 14 .3% prevalence rate, adding that this is higher than the global statistics of 5.3% drug use prevalence rate.

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Adelekan who lamented that though Nigeria has 5 years National Drug Control Master plan but not well being funded operational wise, said, “The National Drug Control Master Plan Nigeria came up with within the last two years, is not being funded adequately and the menace requires actions packed operational strategy that must be well funded.