One in four drug users in Nigeria is female – UNODC

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed that one in every four Nigerians who abuse drugs or other substances is female, yet women account for only one in every 20 people receiving drug treatment and rehabilitation in the country.

The UN agency also disclosed that about 244 million people worldwide were engaged in drug and substance abuse in 2025, warning that drug use across Africa is projected to rise by 40 per cent by 2030.

These figures were contained in a memorandum submitted by the UNODC to the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee investigating the growing incidence of drug and substance abuse in Nigeria, chaired by Oluwatimehin Adelegbe (APC, Ondo).

According to the UNODC, Nigeria’s drug use prevalence remains nearly three times higher than the global average, raising serious public health and security concerns.

While women constitute about 25 per cent of drug users in the country, their low representation in treatment centres highlights significant barriers to access.

The agency attributed this gap largely to stigma and systemic obstacles, which it said disproportionately affect women and girls seeking help.

The UNODC further warned that if current trends continue, Nigeria could record over 20 million drug users by 2030, posing a major threat to public health, social stability and national security.

Key findings from the UNODC 2025 World Drug Report, also cited in the memorandum, showed that an estimated 144 million people used cannabis globally in 2023, representing 4.6 per cent of the global population aged 15–24.

Cannabis use has reportedly increased by 34 per cent over the past decade and remains the leading drug of concern for 32 per cent of people in treatment in Africa.

Globally, cannabis was used by 2.3 per cent of women aged 15–64, while the substance accounts for an estimated 42 per cent of drug-use disorder cases worldwide. Additionally, 41 per cent of countries identified cannabis as the main drug of concern among people in treatment.

The report also revealed that about 61 million people used opioids in 2023, including 30 million heroin users, representing 0.57 per cent of the global population aged 15–64.

To address the crisis, the UNODC recommended the decriminalisation of drug possession for personal use, with defined thresholds, to shift drug users from the criminal justice system to health services.

It also advocated institutionalising harm-reduction measures in national laws and policies.

Other recommendations include strengthening asset forfeiture and financial investigations, and providing legal backing for interventions such as needle and syringe programmes, Naloxone distribution, medication-assisted treatment and community outreach initiatives.

In a separate submission to the committee, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) highlighted evolving trafficking patterns, including increased use of courier services, luggage concealment and digital ordering systems.

The NDLEA also identified the growing involvement of transnational criminal networks, the emergence of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in urban fringes and rural areas, and a rise in poly-drug trafficking, where traffickers move multiple substances simultaneously to reduce detection risks.