By Ebi Kesiena
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has disclosed that women account for one in every four Nigerians involved in drug and substance abuse, yet they make up only a fraction of those receiving treatment and rehabilitation across the country.
According to the agency, while women represent about 25 percent of drug users in Nigeria, only one in every 20 people currently accessing rehabilitation and treatment services is female. The disparity, the UNODC noted, points to deep-rooted stigma and structural barriers that continue to limit women’s access to care.
The disclosure was made in a memorandum submitted to the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee investigating the rising incidence of drug and substance abuse in Nigeria.
The UN agency further revealed that an estimated 244 million people globally engaged in drug and substance abuse in 2025. It warned that Africa is on course to record a 40 percent increase in drug use by 2030 if current trends persist.
The memorandum raised alarm over Nigeria’s situation, noting that the country’s prevalence of drug use is nearly three times higher than the global average. This, the UNODC said, poses serious risks to public health and national security, particularly as drug-related harm continues to expand across communities.
According to the agency, the underrepresentation of women in treatment facilities suggests that stigma, fear of discrimination and limited gender-sensitive services are disproportionately affecting women and girls who use drugs. It warned that without targeted interventions, many female users would continue to suffer in silence, with long-term consequences for families and society.
The UNODC cautioned that if current patterns continue, drug use in Africa could rise by 40 percent by 2030. In Nigeria alone, this could translate to more than 20 million people using drugs, a development the agency described as a severe threat to social stability and public health systems.
According to the memorandum cannabis accounts for a significant share of drug-related harm worldwide, with an estimated 42 percent of drug use disorder cases linked to the substance. It also stated that 41 percent of countries reported cannabis as the main drug of concern among people undergoing treatment.
Beyond cannabis, the UNODC reported that an estimated 61 million people used opioids in 2023, including about 30 million heroin users. This represents approximately 0.57 percent of the global population aged between 15 and 64.
As part of its recommendations to Nigerian lawmakers, the agency called for the decriminalisation of possession of drugs for personal use within clearly defined thresholds. It said such a move would help shift people who use drugs away from the criminal justice system and into health and social services, while allowing law enforcement agencies to focus more effectively on dismantling trafficking networks.
The UNODC also recommended the institutionalisation of harm reduction strategies within national laws and policies. These include strengthening asset forfeiture and financial investigations, as well as providing legal backing for initiatives such as needle and syringe programmes, Naloxone distribution, medication-assisted treatment and community-based outreach.
