As Nigeria joins the global community to commemorate the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26, 2025, the call for urgent and sustained national intervention has grown louder.
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), alongside concerned citizens, is demanding a comprehensive, prevention-driven approach to tackle the growing drug abuse crisis threatening the country’s youth, public health, and national stability.
In a statement on Thursday to mark the day, ACPN National Chairman, Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma, described the drug abuse epidemic as a “silent crisis” that is ravaging communities across Nigeria. Citing the 2025 theme, “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention,” he stressed that shifting the nation’s response from reactive to preventive strategies is the most effective way forward.
“As community pharmacists on the frontline of healthcare, we witness the heartbreaking consequences of substance abuse daily. Every tablet sold without a prescription, every diverted cough syrup, every trafficked hard drug is not just a crime—it is a threat to our collective future,” Igwekamma said.
Highlighting over a decade of ACPN’s engagement through its national anti-drug abuse competition among secondary school students, he noted that the initiative has helped shape young minds on the risks of substance use, aligning with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) strategy on prevention.
He further called for strengthened regulation to curb leakage points in the distribution of controlled substances, empowered roles for pharmacists in early intervention and community education, and expanded public health campaigns. “We must protect the people by empowering those closest to the communities—community pharmacists,” he added.
Adding to the momentum, a passionate open letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by Ogbodo Kelvin, a student of Government Secondary School, Garki, Abuja, has gone viral, capturing the desperation of young Nigerians faced with the scourge. The letter paints a grim but honest picture: from city streets to remote villages, no region is spared.
Kelvin attributes the escalating crisis to porous borders, weak law enforcement, and easy access to narcotics such as tramadol, codeine-based syrups, and even commonly available over-the-counter drugs like Alabukun. He points to peer pressure, poor parental guidance, glamorization of drug use on social media, and lack of awareness as root causes that must be urgently addressed.
“The effects are devastating mental health breakdowns, school dropouts, crime, family collapse, and a ruined economy. Drug abuse is slowly eroding the foundation of our society,” he wrote. He urged the federal government to implement national education campaigns, strengthen drug laws, regulate prescriptions, and invest in rehabilitation programs for affected youths.
Experts warn that without aggressive interventions, Nigeria risks facing a full-blown public health emergency that will deepen existing social and economic challenges. ACPN and other stakeholders believe that a unified, multisectoral response is not only necessary but overdue.
“We must move beyond rhetoric to action,” said Igwekamma. “We must invest in prevention, empower local actors, and ensure that our young people are educated, supported, and protected from the dangers of drug abuse.”
