Health
How Can We End The War On Drug Users In Nigeria?
… Ask the 50 jurisdictions worldwide that have decriminalised drug use!
… A new web-tool launched today shows that 49 countries and jurisdictions across the world have adopted some form of decriminalisation for drug use and possession for personal use.
… Experts say the number of jurisdictions turning to this policy option is likely to increase in the coming years.
‘Drug Decriminalisation Across the World’, an interactive map developed by Talking Drugs, Release and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), offers an overview of the different decriminalisation models – and their level of effectiveness – adopted all over the world.
Twenty-nine countries (or 49 jurisdictions) have adopted this approach in recognition that the criminalisation of people who use drugs is a failed policy, disproportionately targeting people living in poverty, people of colour and young people, and causing untold damage.
When effectively implemented, decriminalisation can contribute to improved health, social and economic outcomes for people who use drugs and their communities, as well as reduced criminal justice spending and recidivism. Further, there is no evidence that drug use increases under this model – or that it would decrease if criminalised. Decriminalisation is not a ‘soft’ policy option – itis the smart approach to reducing harms for individuals and society.
The major harms caused by the so-called ‘war on drugs’ have now been widely recognised: one in five people incarcerated for drug offences globally; more than half a million preventable deaths by overdose, HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis in 2016 alone; and severe human rights violations including arbitrary detentions, executions and extrajudicial killings. While this horrific situation is getting worse each year, the scale of the illicit drug market and prevalence of drug use continue to soar – at least according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s latest global overview from 2019.
Nigeria has been described as the “Africa’s narcotics hub and a major transshipment point between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres” and “the focal point of West African narcotics trafficking”. According to the 2018 UNODC Drug Use in Nigeria Survey Report, about 17 million people use drugs in Nigeria.
The 2017 prevalence of any drug use in Nigeria is estimated at 11.4 per cent or 14.3 million people aged between 15 and 64 years.
The extent of drug use in Nigeria is comparatively high when compared with the 2016 global annual prevalence of any drug use of 5.6 percent among the adult population.
In order to address the growing problem of illicit drugs over the years, Nigeria government has been ‘waging the war on drugs’ using ‘a repressive and law enforcement approach’ to respond to the challenges of drug trafficking, production and use.
However, the successes been recorded for the ‘war on drugs’ in Nigeria are based on the level of crops eradicated, number of arrests and seizures made and severity of punishments applied to users, growers and dealers in Nigeria which has led to many unintended consequences including human rights violations, swelling prison populations and significant increases in violent crimes and conflicts and other social problems affecting the entire country.
Emphatically, people who use drugs in Nigeria are continuously witnessing series of human rights abuses including routine arbitrary arrest and detention, extortions, physical harm, rape and sexual assault, social stigmatization and neglects. Indeed, people incarcerated for drug offenses account for a substantial percentage of prisoners throughout Nigerian prisons. Those incarcerated are often the most marginalized – small time dealers, low level drug offenders, and overwhelmingly, the people who use drugs.
The most Nigeria drug control laws and policies undermine lifesaving health services. Illegality of drug use and of harm reduction programmes drives drug users away from services and/or into prisons and fuel the spread of HIV in Nigeria. Persons who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Nigeria now account for 9 per cent of new HIV infections annually. Also according to the UNODC Drug Use in Nigeria report 2018, people who inject drugs constitute a sizeable proportion of high risk drug users in Nigeria. I in 5 high risk drug users is injecting drugs.
While there is no silver bullet for addressing 100 years of punitive drug policies, removing criminal sanctions for activities associated with drug use is a necessary step in the right direction.
Niamh Eastwood, Executive Director of Release, said: “What we really wanted to show here is the number and diversity of existing decriminalisation models adopted all over the world, and whatthe real impact is on the ground in terms of health, human rights, criminal justice and social justice outcomes”.
Ann Fordham, Executive Director of IDPC, said: “In Portugal, decriminalisation has significantly reduced health risks and harms. But that’s not the case everywhere. In Russia and Mexico, ill-designed models have exacerbated incarceration rates and social exclusion. When designing decriminalisation models, governments have to carefully review the evidence of what does and doesn’t work to ensure success”.
Imani Robinson, Editor of TalkingDrugs, said: “The most useful element of this interactive map is that it highlights the impact of decriminalisation for communities on the ground. Many models enable the liberation of people who use drugs through a broad commitment to greater health and social gains overall and an emphasis on the provision of harm reduction education and services; others do not garner the same results. Smart drug policy is not decriminalisation by any means necessary, it is decriminalisation done right.”
Health
Enhancement of Military Health Services: Matawalle Meets U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Health
In a significant move to bolster Defence Health Services and strengthen the partnership between the United States and Nigeria, the Minister of State for Defence, H.E. Dr. Muhammad Bello Matawalle, met with a U.S. delegation led by Dr. David Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Health.
A statement endorsed by Henshaw Ogubike, director of Information and PR at the Ministry, shows that the the meeting focused on enhancing the existing collaboration in defence health between the two nations, which has previously facilitated the establishment of high-tech laboratories in Nigeria.
The Honourable Minister commended the U.S. for their efforts and urged for the expansion of these medical facilities beyond Abuja and Lagos to reach more derserved regions.
Dr. Matawalle emphasized the strategic integration of health services to improve the welfare of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, stating, “A healthy military is the backbone of a strong nation.” He reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that military personnel have access to top-tier healthcare services and facilities. To this end, he called for an increase in the defence budget allocated to health, viewing it as a vital investment in the nation’s future and stability.
Furthermore, the Minister highlighted that these initiatives align with Nigeria’s broader commitment to enhancing military readiness while addressing public health challenges that affect both service members and the civilian population. He noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is dedicated to improving healthcare for military personnel and civilians, recognizing healthcare as a cornerstone of national security.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana mni, stated that this initiative would positively impact military health and serve as a model for strengthening Nigeria’s overall healthcare system. “This collaboration marks a turning point for Nigeria’s defence health system,” he asserted.
Dr. Smith praised the Minister for his proactive approach to health readiness, underscoring the critical connection between health systems and military effectiveness. “Health is as crucial as any weapon system in ensuring military success, and we are committed to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to enhance its defence health system,” he remarked.
The U.S. delegation is in Nigeria to further advance initiatives aimed at sustaining progress against HIV, accelerating efforts towards the United Nations’ 95-95-95 goals, and working towards the elimination of HIV as a public health threat by 2030.
Health
Neptune Prime publisher to unveil cancer clinic, school, foundation for late journalists’ families as son weds in Yobe
The publisher of Neptune Prime newspapers, Dr Hassan Gimba, has announced plans to commission three major projects in his home state, Yobe State
In an invitation letter sent to newsmen on Wednesday, the publisher disclosed that the event, which is scheduled to take place on August 31, is coinciding with the wedding Fatiha of his son, Barrister Suleiman Gimba.
According to the letter, the wedding Fatiha will take place by 11:00am at the residence of Mohammed Babate, Behind Water Board, Army Barracks, Potiskum.
“Immediately after the wedding Fatihah, we will be commissioning the Hafsatu Gimba Ahmed Memorial School located at VIO Street, Unguwar Jaji, Potiskum.
“This institution is dedicated to the memory of my late mother, aiming to serve the educational needs of our community,” the letter noted.
Dr Gimba added that as part of the launch programme, the Abubakar Monja Lifeline Foundation for Late Journalists’ Families, which he founded to cater to the families of journalists who have passed away, will be empowering youths it trained in tailoring and plumbing.
“Additionally, I would like to invite you to inspect the ongoing construction of the Lami Fatima Babare Cancer Outreach and Clinic situated nearby, also in Unguwar Jaji.
“The clinic is an initiative of the Lami Fatima Babare Cervical Cancer Foundation, which was founded in 2020 – in memory of my late wife, Lami Fatima Babare – to provide medical services and referrals to cancer patients,” the letter noted.
The Enugu State Government has announced its intention to revamp the existing infrastructural facilities to give the Enugu State College of Health Technology in Oji River a face-lift and also scale-up institution to a technology-savvy citadel of learning.
The government made this known during a meeting with the management, staff, and students of the institution at the Enugu State Government House at the weekend, stressing its commitment to ensuring quality health service delivery in the state.
The government, which made this known through the Special Adviser on Health Matters, Dr. Yomi Jaye, also asked the students of the institution to go back to school and continue with their academic calendar, as all those involved in the recent breach of security in the school’s neighborhood had been rounded up and now facing the law.
The governor equally gave the college management a two-week ultimatum to develop a workplan, which the government would work on to ensure that the school functions at its optimum level.
Briefing Government House correspondents after the meeting, Dr. Jaye said, “We interacted with the management, staff and students of the Enugu State College of Health Technology, Orji River, to come up with a strategic plan to revamp the college and restore its lost glory.
His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah, has expressed his willingness not only to revamp the school, but to upscale it to a technology-savvy teaching community.
“As you can see, the government is bullish about building Type-2 Healthcare Centre in each of the 260 wards and this college will produce some of the qualified workers that will deliver quality healthcare services to Ndi Enugu.
“We appeal to the parents and guardians to allow the students to go back to school and resume their academic activities as more security personnel have been deployed to make sure that both Oji River and its neighbouring communities are properly secured.
“It is also important to inform you that those who perpetrated the security breach have since been arrested and the victims, which included one student, also freed,” he maintained.
Also speaking, the Provost of the College, Dr. Lazarus Ezugwu, expressed his happiness over the state government’s move to revamp the institution, saying he was optimistic that the glory of the institution would be restored in no distant time.
When commending Governor Peter Mbah and the security agencies for their swift response to the recent security breach at the College, he also confirmed that security had been strengthened around the institution and Oji River in general.
“The meeting is such a commendable one. It goes a long way in telling us the type of visionary leader we have in the state. To be sincere, the total overhaul that will be done in the college is going to be enormous. What is coming to the college cannot be imagined because the governor has shown both special interest and political will. This is what we have been yearning for, for so many years,” Dr. Ezugwu stated.
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