The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, has called for greater investment in mental health services, warning that drug use and mental illness reinforce each other.
Marwa made the call on Tuesday while chairing the fifth edition of the Conversation Conference (TCC 5.0), organised by Intersect Consortium in Abuja.
He said many drug abuse cases treated at NDLEA rehabilitation facilities involved untreated emotional distress, depression and trauma, stressing that addressing the underlying mental health conditions was essential to tackling drug abuse.
“If we only arrest the symptoms, we will keep missing the cause,” he warned.
Marwa highlighted the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse campaign, its 24-hour toll-free helpline and rehabilitation services. He disclosed that more than 53,843 people had received care at its 31 rehabilitation facilities nationwide in the past five years.
He also called for increased funding, more mental health professionals and the integration of mental health services into primary healthcare to make treatment more accessible.
Marwa urged the health, education, security, justice and social welfare sectors to work together, adding that community-based programmes and support for vulnerable groups were essential to sustainable recovery.
