No fewer than 233,000 young people are involved in drug abuse in Rivers State, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Chidinma Oreh, has revealed.
The figure, she noted, comes from a 2019 United Nations report indicating that 16.6 per cent of youths in the South-South region engage in substance abuse.
Speaking at the Regional Multi-Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Drug Abuse Prevention in the Niger Delta on Saturday, Dr. Oreh, represented by Quanta Roland, highlighted alcohol, marijuana, and heroin as the most abused substances.
Oreh said, “Of every 10 drug abusers in the region, four are women.”
Citing statistics, she said prevalence in neighbouring states included Akwa Ibom (12.5%), Bayelsa (11.2%), Delta (18%), and Edo (15%).
She warned that the problem continued to rise and called for coordinated government and stakeholder intervention.
Diamond Tamunokuro, chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association, emphasised the need to curb drug demand and expand rehabilitation capacity, noting the country has fewer than 300 psychiatrists for over 200 million people.
NDLEA Deputy Zonal Commander Emmanuel Ogbumgbada also urged stakeholders to complement the agency’s efforts, while Caleb Tidi of Search for Common Grounds described the dialogue as a platform to reduce drug-related crime and violence in the Niger Delta.
