We have our eyes on the streets but drugs are making their way into schools across the country.
After ignoring the obvious for so long, the incidence of drug use among Nigerian youth and the resultant drug problem have finally been found worthy of discussion.
So, getting out lawmakers to fulfil their duties with legislation is still a long way in the future. But there are positives: the frequency of drug-related arrests has increased, society is acknowledging the problem and perhaps most importantly, the media is talking about it.
Although it’s still early days, the nature of the problem and the fact that you can only really enforce drug laws when a person is in active possession or use of a drug, majority of our efforts are focused on the areas where drugs are most visible.
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But in cities like Lagos, young people are learning about drugs in their classrooms.
The Nigerian educational system, especially in most private institutions, is designed to keep students at the school for as long as possible.
Most primary and secondary schools are open from between 8 am - 4 pm as perfunctory school hours. Tutorial centres can keep the average student for an extra four hours, depending on what eternal exams he’s preparing to sit for.
How much do they learn at school?
What this means is that young students spend more time in school. They are more open to forging stronger relationships and getting influenced within those four walls.
Most drug users first get into a habit or are introduced to such by a friend. When most of a student's time is spent in school, odds are, more often than not, those colleagues are in school.
When the American drug problem is discussed, “taking drugs off the streets” is a commonly repeated expression.
The common mistake with addressing Nigeria’s drug problem is the assumption that the drugs are on the streets too.
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However, largely because of the unspoken moral code and society’s conservative perception of drug use, drug culture has emerged in the shadows, out of the spotlights, in the places where young men can pass sachets of Tramadol in the corridor during break.
Nigerian society and the institutions, particularly schools, that support young people have not yet begun to consider the prospect that drugs may be coming in through their doors on a daily basis and fanning the flames of a troubling culture.
In a society with a very present drug culture, the urge to experiment usually comes during the teenage years when young people are in secondary school. Most of the peer pressure that motivates drug use is usually most intense at this stage.
It makes for a situation where schools are filled with students prone to drug use.
The dealers already recognise this.
On March 2, 2018, a father and son were arrested by the Lagos Police Command Rapid Response Squad for selling Tramadol and other hard drugs to primary and secondary school pupils in Itire area of Lagos.
The father, identified as Ibrahim Sheu and his 23-year-old son, Franku Ibrahim were arrested on Friday, March 2, 2018, after officials of the Office of Education and Quality Assurance, Lagos State alerted the Rapid Response Squad officers about the incident.
Their arrest was necessitated after officials of the Ministry of Education learned that students in the area were exhibiting a strange attitude.
Sometimes, the actual drug use doesn’t even happen on campus.
Shared interests and curiosity can often bring students together in the search for the next high.
From school, they often make a trail to shacks, drug dens or any place where they can procure and use drugs without attracting unwanted attention.
It is why when police carry out drug busts in certain areas, young students still in their uniforms are often caught among more usual suspects.
Understanding this adds a new perspective to the drug problem, one that requires every section of society to take responsibility.
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Already, cultism and gang violence have permeated schools, most notably in Lagos and the South-South, increasing the potential for abuse.
Ultimately, the solution to Nigeria’s drug problem will require heavy policing and the enforcement of drug laws, the destruction of dens, closing up the borders and checking over-the-counter sales of commonly abused drugs.
The real challenge lies in checking the culture of abuse from the roots. A culture of silence has worsened our biggest problems and with young people chasing euphoria, it threatens to worsen the drug problem.
We need to begin to teach drug culture in schools, to talk about Tramadol on the same day as a new student will say stories about its effects on intercourse.
Right now, we're taking the fights to the streets; but students are learning to use drugs in school.