Years On, Drug Abuse Still Stalks Rivers Students

Three years after the “War Against Drug Abuse” campaign began sweeping through campuses in Rivers State, the warning drums have not gone silent — because the problem has not gone away.

At the University of Port Harcourt this week, hundreds of students joined officers of the Nigerian Police, the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in yet another rally. The message was familiar but urgent: drug abuse is still destroying young lives.

“Every year we see more young people fall into this trap,” said Rivers PCRC chairman, Voke Emore, who led the third edition of the campaign. “We have done this at Ignatius Ajuru University, at Rivers State University, and now UniPort. Drug abuse is one of the causes of insecurity; it pushes young people into crime and violence. We have to keep speaking until it stops.”

Behind the placards and chants is a reality that worries educators. NDLEA’s Rivers Commander, represented by Grace Adeniyi, said drug use has crept deep into student communities. “It is everywhere,” she said. “If it is not in your family, it is in your neighbourhood. A drug-dependent person is a risk to himself and everyone around him. Prevention is still our best hope.”

On campuses like UniPort, peer pressure and isolation continue to draw young people into substance use. “You come here at 16 or 17 and nobody monitors you,” Adeniyi explained. “Older students introduce the younger ones to hard drugs. That is why awareness on campus is so important.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Owunari Georgewill said the university has turned its partnership with the security agencies into a moral crusade.

“This is not for content creation,” he told students gathered at the convocation arena. “It is about saving lives. Our future cannot be built on substance abuse.”

While officials insist that the annual campaign has opened more eyes, the persistence of drug abuse among students shows the scale of the challenge. The NDLEA estimates that more than 14 million Nigerians use psychoactive substances, and campuses remain one of the easiest entry points.

“We want to build a Nigeria where youths are not dependent on illicit drugs. That is why this fight cannot be seasonal; it must be continuous,” Georgewill said.