Olusegun Adeyemo
A counselling psychologist, Dr. Gloria Eifediyi, has sounded the alarm over the alarming rise in drug and substance abuse among Nigerian youths, warning that the nation risks losing a vital segment of its workforce and future leaders if urgent action is not taken.
Dr. Eifediyi, who works with the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo State, made this known in a statement issued over the weekend, calling for immediate, coordinated action from parents, communities, educators, and law enforcement agencies.
“Drug abusers are not criminals—they are victims who need help. We must stop the stigma and start offering support,” she stated.
The psychologist identified broken homes, peer pressure, social media influence, boredom, and unresolved trauma as key drivers behind the growing substance abuse crisis among young Nigerians.
She noted that consistent abuse of drugs can result in severe mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, psychosis, and bipolar disorder, further weakening the nation’s social and economic fabric.
“As a society, we are losing our workforce. We now rely on foreign labour to do jobs our youths could handle, if they were well and empowered,” she lamented.
Beyond mental health, Eifediyi also linked drug abuse to family breakdown, unemployment, financial hardship, and educational decline, highlighting the multifaceted damage it causes.
She listed commonly abused substances among Nigerian youth, including cannabis, tramadol, codeine, methamphetamine and synthetic opioids such as “kush” and nitazenes, which have been described as extremely dangerous and often fatal.
Dr. Eifediyi urged parents to become more involved in their children’s lives—know their friends, monitor their behaviour, and most importantly, listen to them without judgment.
She also stressed the need for stronger law enforcement action to disrupt drug supply chains, urging agencies to clamp down on traffickers and illegal outlets that distribute narcotics to vulnerable youths.
“This is a crisis that requires collective effort. The time to act is now,” she said.
As Nigeria continues to grapple with rising youth unemployment and mental health challenges, experts like Dr. Eifediyi warn that addressing drug abuse is not optional—it is essential to national survival.