Nigeria Country Profile

The Future of Drug Problem in Nigeria

Beyond the current situation of drug problems in the country, they are indications that the trends may worsen unless a more active response is instituted immediately and intensified for subsequent years. The conditions that promote drug problems are restated here and include: the relatively higher proportion of young people in the population, rapid urban growth, the increase in the availability and use of psychotropic substances, the alarming increase in the cultivation and use of cannabis and linkages between drug abuse and HIV/AIDS.

Other considerations for the unfavorable drug climate are the vast porous and unsecured land and coastal borders, including the air and seaports. The weak government funding of the drug control program coupled with increasing sophistication of the tactics and methods used by drug traffickers and barons are issues of concern. The future of drug problems in Nigeria must take cognizance of the recent opening of the country (due to democratic rule), with increased financial activities and the in and out-flow of capital. These will occur in an environment where the laws, rules and regulations, as well as the capacities to implement them in the banking and financial sectors are weak. The internationally recognized financial crimes may result in circumstances appropriate for money laundering.