NDLEA Boss Condemn Naira Marley And Others For Glorifying Drug abuse

Nigerian musicians who promote drug usage in their songs have come under fire, according to Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Ret.), chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Marwa expressed his regret over how popular drug-related song lyrics have grown among young people, adding how they have led them to view drug usage as a “great concept of leisure” as a result.

This was addressed by the NDLEA chairman, who was represented by Dr. Segun Oke, during the second Vanguard Mental Health Summit, which took place in Lagos on Thursday and had as its topic “Mental Health in a Distressed Economy.”

10.6 million Nigerians smoke cannabis, according to Marwa, who claims that drug addiction is a “severe” issue in the nation.

He stated that the agency has continued to put measures in place to curb the abuse of drug and substances in the country.

“The “high syndrome” is so entrenched among young people it has become a sort of self-prescription therapy for dealing with some of life’s issues. For some, it is the grand idea of leisure. It is a buzzword in their everyday life and a motif in popular music. Offhand, I can give you three quick examples of hit songs that glorify the abuse of psychoactive substances in the name of “getting high”.

” ‘I just want to be high’, ‘I need Igbo and Shayo’, ‘Sometimes food no dey give man joy, but Canadian loud, the feeling is different.’ These street anthems motivate young people to abuse alcohol, cannabis and other illicit substances. It is now commonplace for young people to organise cannabis parties,” he said.

Marwa lauded Vanguard Newspapers for putting together the summit, emphasizing how silence, passivity and complacency have contributed to the rise in the level of drug abuse in the country.

“Our silence, passivity and complacency in the past is what led us to where we are today. That is why every effort to now salvage the situation, including this summit, is welcome and laudable and most importantly, must be decisive and sustained.