The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has warned Nigerian youths, particularly those in tertiary institutions, that the temporary euphoria of drug use carries a devastating cost that can permanently derail their futures, if not avoided.
Delivering the Public Lecture for the 29th and 30th Combined Convocation Ceremony of the University of Abuja, titled “High Today, Lost Tomorrow: The Real Cost of Drug Abuse on Campus,” on Tuesday 14th April 2026, Marwa stated that substance abuse has moved from being a street challenge to a lecture hall problem.
He noted that the drug landscape has shifted from traditional substances like cannabis to a complex web of synthetic opioids and designer drugs like Colorado, Loud, and Methamphetamine while expressing concern over the use of social networks for drug distribution and the involvement of students in trafficking.
“A criminal record for drug offences is a life sentence on your career before it even begins. You cannot practice law, medicine, or engineering with a drug-related conviction”, Marwa warned, while outlining the devastating impact of substance abuse across critical areas.
He said apart from drugs hijacking humans’ neurotransmitters, eroding memory and critical thinking, drug abuse is the twin brother of cultism and campus violence, adding that arrest and conviction of offenders end their professional aspirations because the Agency maintains a zero-tolerance policy.
He added that the loss of Nigeria’s best minds to psychosis and premature death is another devastating cost of drug abuse among youths.
According to him, “there is correlation between constructed-reality about getting intoxicated and the actual abuse of substance by young people.
The National Drug Use and Health Survey report of 2018 was an open aperture on the use of psychoactive substances for non-medical purposes by Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64.
“In summary, the report of the survey indicted Nigerian youths, predominantly those between 25 and 39, for substance abuse. The survey also established the fact that young people are initiated into substance abuse at about the age of 19 years. Unfortunately, today, we even see kids who are below 15 and 10 already experimenting with illicit substances.
“Statistics from NDLEA activities further infused dire angles to this drug use dossier and invariably throw up a disturbing portrait of substance abuse among youths. For instance, of the 77, 859 drug offenders arrested in the past five years, over 60% of them were young people, both male and female, some of them as young as 15 years old. Similarly, majority of the 48, 836 drug users counselled and treated in NDLEA treatment facilities within the same period were overwhelmingly young people.”
Addressing the graduating students directly, Marwa urged them to remain sober as they begin the next phase of their lives.
His words: “You are about to enter a world that is AI-Powered and Fintech-driven, as your convocation theme suggests. There is no room for a clouded mind in a fast-paced world. Choose your circle. Peer pressure is the primary gateway. If your friends require you to be ‘high’ to belong, you are in the wrong company. And as you receive your degrees on Friday and Saturday, remember that character comes before learning. The University of Abuja is the University for Nigeria’s Unity. Let us unite against this scourge. Don’t let a moment of ‘high’ cost you your tomorrow. Nigeria needs your talent, your energy, and—most importantly—your sober mind to lead us into the next decade.”
While calling for all stakeholders to join government efforts in tackling the menace because of its ripple effect, the NDLEA boss said “Let me also state here that drug abuse does not affect only the user. It ripples outward: families suffer emotional and financial strain; institutions face reputational damage; society bears the burden of lost productivity and increased crime; while a nation cannot thrive when its youth—its greatest asset—are compromised.”
“The contributive role of substance abuse to crime and criminality is a strong reason for society to not treat drug issues with levity. The nexus between crime and illicit drugs is not an abstraction, but an everyday reality plaguing contemporary society. We must surmount the substance abuse challenge. It is important to protect our young ones from the vices and vanities of the youth of which substance abuse is a big threat. Success in this assignment will give us assurances that our youths will reach the greatness of the future. Failure will leave the younger generation stranded in the wilderness of life where the future becomes a mirage”, he added.
Marwa concluded by commending the leadership of the University of Abuja for their partnership with NDLEA in strengthening campus surveillance and urged all academic institutions to intensify drug education during orientation programmes and in lecture halls.
Dignitaries at the lecture include the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Senator Olanrewaju Tejuoso; Vice Chancellor, Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi;
Council Member, Dr. Adedeji Adefuye; senior officials of the university; students and senior officers of NDLEA, among others.
