Author: user user

As the race to raise chicken for Christmas and New Year begins, smallholder poultry farmers are struggling with rising prices due to shortage of day-old chick supply across the country.

From September every year, smallholder poultry farmers raise broilers, targeting the yuletide season (Christmas and New Year), when the demand for chicken meat is high.

However, this year, farmers are concerned that prices are very high compared to last year, raising concern that many families may not afford meat during Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The Delta State chapter of the Poultry Association of Nigeria first raised the alarm in a WhatsApp post, where its leadership expressed concern that the scarcity of day-old pullets was hitting the roof ‘on a daily basis.’

‘Pullets just added money. Somebody will be asking: What’s the sudden scarcity in broilers and pullets? What’s actually the reason behind this despite availability of raw materials and downward review of prices by various feed companies,’ the post asked.

The poultry industry in Nigeria has suffered many setbacks since COVID-19, pushing many small and medium scale farmers out of business.

Sources said about 80 per cent of the total day-old hatched in Nigeria are supplied to other African countries widening demand gap domestically.

Weekend Trust gathered that these African countries pay upfront at a uniform price making them a preferred choice for most Nigerian hatcheries.

‘True, but.

The scarcity of day-old chicks and pullets has been blamed on supply to other African countries like Ghana, Cameroon, among others following the high demand for Nigerian birds in those countries.

A former ECWA Farm Manager in Jos, the Plateau State capital, Yilkes Zumunci Bitrus, who is now the chief executive officer of Holy-Right Agro Veterinary Services in Jos, acknowledged this fact.

He explained that the reason for this is that there is much outbreak of diseases in those countries and the quality of their birds is not as that of Nigeria.

The manager said there was high demand for Nigerian birds in those countries, so farms and hatcheries in those places endeavour to meet their demands and supply them, to the detriment of local farmers.

According to the chief executive officer, the farms sell at a higher price to those who come from the neighbouring countries, but they won’t tell local farmers, who they deny the birds.

‘Again, those neighbouring countries come to Nigeria to get birds because they see the country as their own abroad, just as there is always cravings for goods and services from abroad.

‘I liken this to Nigerians having preferences for goods and services from other countries. For example, we have good locally made shoes and automobiles, but we go to other countries to purchase those products, with the mistaken thought that the products outside are always superior to those locally made at home,’ he said.

Zumunci explained that in addition to the supply of birds to neighbouring countries is also the forthcoming yuletide, which is also another reason there is scarcity of day-old chicks and pullets.

According to him, many farms are now saving and nurturing the birds ahead of yuletide in December (Christmas) to sell at a higher price because as at then, the price will be high and the sellers will make more profit.

Another issue, according him, is that in January and February, prices of birds crashed and farms made losses; so people will make much gain in December so that they can make up for the loss in January and February. He stressed that it is for that reason that they are not selling day-old chicks and pullets now; they are keeping them to mature for sale in December.

He revealed that the crash in prices of birds in January and February was so severe that farms even burned the birds since there was less patronage.

Asked why the farms won’t distribute to farmers who are their customers, he explained that if that was done, the farmers would take advantage of it and make it a habit to lessen their patronage and wait for the period when they would be given free chicks.

The public relations officer of the Plateau State Poultry Association, Solomon John, also agreed with Zumunci on hoarding day-old chicks and pullets ahead of the yuletide, adding that the hatcheries too have issues as some complain about parent stock not laying many eggs.

On her part, Madam Grace, a poultry owner around Yelwa Club junction in Jos South, said she booked for day-old chicks and pullets in a hatchery farm but they told her that she could not get it until next year.

She said she was looking for how to get day-old chicks and pullets from alternative sources.

She said the prices of pullets and day-old chicks were between N1,800 and N1,820, while that of broilers is N1,750.

Farmers speak

In Kano, Hajara Sani, a housewife, was disappointed when, on enquiry about the availability of day-old broilers, she was told that booking was required and it would take two or three months to get supply.

Hajara was told that N1,700 is the price for a day-old broiler, while a day-old layer is N1,300, with a local breed known as merger costing N600.

Women are usually seen in clusters waiting for their turns to take delivery of day- old chicks at different poultry outlets in Kano, suggesting that such chicks, especially broilers, are not readily available for would-be buyers.

The chairman of the Kano State Poultry Farmers Association, Dr Usman Gwarzo, explained that certain factors were responsible for the scarcity, which invariably affects the price.

He said the problem was traceable to production challenges in which the major hatcheries in the country like Olam are struggling with foreign exchange to procure the parent stocks that usually lay the eggs.

‘The parent stock is the one that usually lays the eggs that can be hatched; and you need foreign exchange to buy. And everybody knows the volatility of the forex market.

‘Lack of government support to poultry farmers is another factor for the scarcity. Farmers do not get any kind of support to thrive in this kind of business, unlike other aspects of agriculture.

‘Again, no bank supports poultry farmers with any kind of loan. The profit margin of a poultry farmer is between 19 per cent and 20 per cent, but the least interest bank offers is 30 per cent,’ Dr Gwarzo said.

He said a day-old broiler from the hatchery was N1,700, but it would arrive in Kano at approximately N1,900, noting that a parent stock is N8,500 for a day-old.

According to him, farmers like him wait for three months after placing an order for day-old broilers because the hatching period takes about three weeks with demand from different farmers.

Dr Ismail Abdulsalam, another poultry farmer, corroborated what the chairman said. He, however, added that farmers were struggling to replace the aging birds with limited lifespan, creating increased demand on the hatcheries all over the country.

Abdulsalam said the process of hatching broilers and layers was the same, but the broilers give the hatcheries a bit more profit; and therefore, an incentive to hatch more to meet increasing demands.

He said, ‘The process of hatching broilers and layers is the same. But because broilers are a bit more expensive than layers and the hatcheries profit higher, they tend to hatch more broilers, especially as the festive period of Christmas approaches.

‘In the past, just for Christmas sales alone, a farmer could place an order of 100,000 chicks, but that has dropped to maybe 50,000. From now, until Christmas, the price of broilers will remain high because of the likelihood of increasing demands for chicken during the celebration of the festive season.’

According to Abdulsalam, the price of a day-old broiler is between N1,800 and N2,000, while a day-old layer is about N1,500-600, linking the scarcity to the growing population in the country.

Similarly, Abba Abdu, who sells poultry feeds and live birds at Ahmad Chicks, told Weekend Trust that a day-old chick cost at least N1,700 but after a long wait.

‘I have just sold mine, and it will take another month before I get the next supply. You cannot get a day-old chick without waiting for some time after booking. That is how the market is working,’ he said.

Abdu attributed the scarcity to the activities of some poultry farmers who tend to make huge profits supplying nearby Arab countries.

He gave the name of one Saheed, whom he said was given a contract to supply chicks to Arab countries in Africa. Abdul, however, could provide any detail on how farmers supply foreign markets with live birds, leaving customers at home waiting.

Nigeria had in the past experienced significant scarcity and price hike of day-old broilers driven by a combination of factors like the impact of COVID-19 pandemic forex crisis, which limited importation of fertilised eggs, as well as logical challenges in supplying the hatcheries to the farms.

Other dynamics

Ms Nanji Gambo-Oke, the immediate past public relations officer of the Poultry Farmers Association in Plateau State, said farmers often overlooked the dynamics of demand and supply.

‘When egg demand drops, feed prices remain high. They lament, but now that feed prices have dropped and egg prices are rising, you meet silence. It is clear that demand drives the market. Citizens have more disposable income at the moment due to harvest, so they are prioritising protein in their diet.

‘Some hatcheries have faced challenges like scarcity due to lack of parent stock or disease outbreaks, forcing them to cull parent stock.

‘Setting eggs for pullets is more demanding; and there are periods hatchery owners tend to focus on broilers, which are easier and more profitable for hatcheries. And sometimes when poultry production seems more profitable, others are tempted to join, unaware that this influx can flood the market, leading to surplus supply and crashing prices,’ she said.

She added that many factors were causing the hike in the price of day-old pullets and broilers, noting the high demand to meet up with seasonal demand for end products.

‘For broilers, it is Christmas festivities; and for pullets, it is the fasting of March,’ she added.

Power is also the number one factor affecting the price of chicks, according to Gambo-Oke, who said that many hatcheries were operating on diesel 75 per cent of the time.

‘Many hatcheries have downsized, operating at 25-50 per cent capacity due to poor demand off season, causing huge financial losses. Take for instance, doc broilers are sold at N50 and N100 during off season like December to early January when no one is picking birds.

‘The list goes on. Even if the price of feed is relatively cheaper, there are other intricate inputs and decisions to be made when producing day-old chicks,’ the farmer said.

A country slowly and tragically bleeds to death when its citizens become easy targets for criminals of all shades and stripes.

Nigeria is once again haunted by profoundly depressing news involving two women professionals. First to haunt the airwaves was the case of Onyesom Peace, who was called to the Nigerian Bar between September 23rd and 25th, 2025. Still drenched in celebrations at what is not an easy feat in a country where dysfunction is an unnatural disaster, she was abducted alongside her sister by kidnappers on her way back to her base in the southeast. They spent about four days in the den of their kidnappers.

For 29-year-old Somtochukwu Maduagwu, death came agonizingly on Monday, 29th September 2025, during an armed robbery attack during which she is said to have gotten severely injured and passed away as she tried to escape. It was also said that life-saving medical attention did not arrive on time.

In the circumstances, there can be only one fitting description for a country where death is easier than life. Such a country can be fittingly described as being disastrously dysfunctional.

The boldest stamp a state can leave on its territory and on the consciousness of its citizens is security. When the citizens of a country know that they are safe within a country, trust wells within them in the capacity of the state to protect them. This in turn, transforms into patriotism and many other good qualities that every state cannot do without. Alas, in Nigeria, the opposite is true.

It is constitutional that the chief responsibility of the Nigerian state is the welfare of its citizens. Yet, every day in Nigeria, Nigerians are killed, and unaccountably too. The grim list of Nigerians killed with no one held to account continues to grow by the day to put Nigeria on the spot and firmly establish it as a country without justice.

A country boils more fiercely than a cauldron when elected government officials appear impotent and impassive before the scalding rage of ragtag criminals and ragged non-state actors.

For all the current administration assures Nigeria that it is irreversibly on the right track, for all that loquacious government officials howl to the rooftops that the peace and prosperity of old have made a resounding return to a thoroughly parched land, the gaps remain, stressing the gulf between Nigeria as it is today and the country it aspires to be.

Criminals operate, saunter away, and return only because measures are not in place to check them. For more than a decade now, Nigeria’s suspect security architecture has continued to disintegrate, worn down by government dereliction and the newfound audacity of criminals.

These criminals strike at will, cut lives short, and cart away valuables only to rest, rinse, and repeat their crimes, all the while unbothered by what a fairly toothless state can possibly conjure.

A country where citizens cannot sleep with both eyes closed is a country cooking its demise. Such a country can hardly ever make any meaningful progress.

Nigeria must do more. It is tragically shameful that Africa’s largest democracy cannot guarantee the basics of statehood, thus exposing its citizens to ruthless criminals.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines the elderly as someone aged 60 years and above. However, definitions for ‘elderly’ can vary significantly, with the UN and other organisations using the cut off of 65 years. Therefore, Nigeria, by all definitions, is an elderly country.

We say, ‘a fool at forty is a fool forever’, but we are much older than forty, so I think the best term for us is the Yoruba term- ‘Agbaya’. Coincidentally, October 1, our Independence Day, is also celebrated as the international day of older persons worldwide.

Hitherto, Agbaya.

Another October 1 has come and gone, draped in the familiar green and white colours. At 65 years of age, a nation, like any person, should be enjoying the fruits of its labour, standing with the steady gait of maturity and the wisdom of experience. Its citizens should feel the robust pulse of its systems, the surety of its protection, and the warmth of its care. But as we celebrate another year of independence, we must ask: in the six and a half decades since that green and white flag was first hoisted, has our long walk been one of progress or a tragic, circular trek back to where we began? What have we done with our 65 years of Independence?

To answer, we must first remember the man who stood at the podium at Tafawa Balewa Square in 1960. Our first Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, spoke not just of freedom from Britain, but of a responsibility to a continent. ‘We are called upon immediately to show that our faith in ourselves is justified,’ he declared. Nigeria was a ‘trust,’ a ‘privilege,’ a nation poised to be a ‘great and powerful country.’

In those early years, the stride was hopeful. We were a federation of regions with competitive agriculture; groundnuts piled high in Kano, cocoa flowing from the West, palm oil from the East. We built universities, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1960), Ahmadu Bello University (1962), the University of Lagos (1962); cathedrals of learning intended to forge the African mind. Our healthcare system, though young, was functional and respected; teaching hospitals like University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, were beacons of medical excellence in West Africa. The trajectory, though not without its political tremors, pointed upwards.

Then came the coup of 1966 and the countercoup that plunged us into a 30-month civil war. The shadow of that war, and the millions of lives it consumed, has never truly left us. It was the first great fracture, the moment we learned that the Nigerian project was a fragile one, held together not by a common vision, but by a precarious and often violent balance.

The oil boom of the 1970s should have been our great leap. Petrol-dollars flooded the treasury, and the military government of Yakubu Gowon spoke of the problem not being money, but how to spend it. We embarked on ambitious projects, but in our frenzy, we committed two original sins: Firstly, we abandoned the farms with the share of GDP plummeting from over 60 per cent in the early 1960s to about 20 per cent by the 1980s and secondly, greed took over our senses. We became a mono-economy, hooked on crude oil, vulnerable to global price swings, and utterly reckless with our wealth.

The 1980s and 90s were the ‘lost decades,’ defined by a carousel of military dictatorships. The Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of the Babangida era devalued not just the Naira, but our collective dignity. It dismantled the nascent social safety net and introduced a harsh, survival-of-the-fittest capitalism that shattered the middle class. Our universities, once proud, became theatres of endless strikes as the intellectual foundation of the country was deliberately neglected. Brain drain, or ‘Japa’ before it had a name, began in earnest.

The return to democracy in 1999 brought a fragile hope. However, the 4th Republic has been a masterclass in the politics of patronage over progress. We have witnessed the entrenchment of a political class so detached from the realities of the people that their promises feel like a form of national gaslighting. They tell us, ‘Education is free’ while our lecturers sell tomatoes; they announce ‘free healthcare’ while our children die from a lack of diphtheria antitoxin.

So, are we moving forward or backwards? You tell me.

The Nigerian economy, once a diversified, agricultural exporter has now become a struggling mono-economy, the poverty capital of the world, with a currency in freefall. We now import what we once grew.

Once upon a time, we had a functioning railway system; the Lagos-Ibadan Road was a smooth passage. Now? We have dilapidated roads, a collapsed national carrier, and a national grid that functions like a bad joke. The last time I travelled the Kaduna-Abuja Road, my heart banged against my ribcage so many times so much that I thought I was going to have a stroke. In fact, we are currently celebrating the revival of a train service, a basic amenity we had at independence.

Healthcare. Where do I start from? In the sixties and seventies, UCH Ibadan was a regional centre of excellence. Now? Our best and brightest doctors are the backbone of the NHS and the American healthcare system. Our hospitals, as I have lamented many times, often lack gloves, oxygen and bed space while patients bleed to death from perforated ulcers caused by fake drugs sold by quacks and children die from preventable diseases like Diphtheria. Life expectancy has improved globally, but in Nigeria, the pace is a crawl compared to peers, and the outcomes are amongst the worst.

As for security, I have no words. In the eighties, we grew up hearing about dangerous countries like Colombia and Honduras where kidnapping was the order of the day. Never in our wildest dreams did we ever imagine that that would be our reality. Yet here we are. Our Kidnapping is now on steroids.

What about education, you ask? Well, when a sitting JAMB Oga comes out to tell you that some students will have to rewrite JAMB because there was a ‘glitch’ in their system, then you know that, pardon my French, shit has really hit the fan. Graduates of universities can no longer write coherent sentences and talk more about reports. Every year, WAEC and NECO scores continue to plummet even lower. As for the states that boast of high scores- like we say ‘miracle’ no dey tire Jesus!

The evidence is overwhelming. By every metric that measures the health of a nation, the welfare of its citizens, the strength of its institutions, the quality of its public goods, we have moved backwards. We are a country that, in 2025, is struggling to achieve what it had a firm grip on in 1965.

And yet, to declare us a failed state is to ignore the irrepressible Nigerian spirit, the ‘siddon look’ resilience that is both our strength and our curse. Our survival is not a sign of success, but a testament to the sheer grit of ordinary people who, against all odds, continue to hustle, to hope, to build businesses in the face of epileptic power, and to save lives in hospitals without tools.

The diagnosis is clear. We suffer from a chronic and debilitating illness: a failure of leadership and a corrosive corrupt political culture. The treatment is not another policy paper or a sensationalist headline. It is a radical, surgical intervention into our national psyche and our political structures. It demands that we, the people, stop rewarding the bad behaviour of our rulers and begin to demand, with one unwavering voice, what we were promised 65 years ago; prosperity, justice and security for all.

The long walk is not over. But until we face the truth of how far we have strayed from the path, we will remain, 65 years on, Agbaya forever.

When discussions around healthcare arise, the role of pharmacists is often viewed through the narrow lens of dispensing medication. Yet, the story of one Nigerian-born scholar, Muhammad Kabir Musa proves that pharmacists stand at the heart of transforming health systems, shaping global health policy, and pioneering reforms that save lives. His journey demonstrates how research, passion, and service can redefine what it means to be a pharmacist in the 21st century.

The turning point came at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, where Musa’s early work uncovered a startling truth: handwritten prescriptions carried a 38 per cent error rate. This revelation was more than a statistic; it represented thousands of patients vulnerable to preventable harm. Rather than treat it as an academic finding alone, he pushed for reform. His advocacy led to the adoption of an electronic prescribing system at ABUTH, cutting projected errors by 60, per cent iimproving communication between healthcare professionals, preventing adverse drug events, and saving significant costs. Today, that system stands as a model for other Nigerian health institutions and beyond. This pioneering work underscored a career-long commitment to prescription safety, patient welfare, and public health innovation.

The roots of this remarkable journey stretch back to Okuta (Senrukperu), in Kwara State’s Baruten Local Government Area, where he attended Baptist Grammar School. Motivated by a deep curiosity about health, medicine, and science, he pursued a degree in pharmacy at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, graduating in 2017. Following his internship at ABUTH (2018-2019) and successful completion of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria licensure exams, he served his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year at General Hospital Hunkuyi in Kaduna State. Alongside, he earned a Certificate of Proficiency in Management from the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered), reflecting his interest in leadership and systems development.

His appointment as a pharmacist at ABUTH deepened his professional experience. It was here that his influence expanded from patient care to health system strengthening and public health research. This foundation propelled him onto the global stage, where his expertise would attract international recognition and opportunities for advanced research.

In 2022, his quest for deeper knowledge earned him the Abay Kunanbayev Scholarship to pursue a Master of Public Health at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan. Under the mentorship of Johns Hopkins alumnus, Prof. Byron Crape, he conducted a systematic review and linear regression analysis on global HPV vaccine coverage, bringing new clarity to international vaccination strategies. His success at Nazarbayev reinforced his reputation as a scholar committed to using evidence for impactful health policy.

Today, he is pursuing doctoral studies at the prestigious University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, in the Clinical Pharmacy Translational Sciences program. His research continues to garner attention, addressing complex issues that resonate on a global scale proof of his unwavering dedication to advancing pharmacy practice and improving healthcare delivery.

Beyond degrees and titles, his contributions are visible in the breadth of his scholarship. With over 25 international publications, he has tackled themes ranging from medication safety, vaccination uptake, and COVID-19’s hidden consequences to early marriage and teenage pregnancy, public health in conflict zones, and global neurosurgical challenges. He has also explored the intersections of climate change, food insecurity, and health policy reforms. Each paper not only expands academic knowledge but also informs practical decisions by policymakers and institutions.

What made his work at ABUTH particularly transformative was its real-world application. By showing the dangers of illegible handwritten prescriptions and quantifying the risks, he provided evidence that spurred concrete reform. His insistence on safety turned an ordinary teaching hospital into a national model of innovation. That research laid the foundation for broader advocacy in pharmaceutical practice, health systems reform, and patient-centered care.

His impact, however, extends beyond laboratories, hospitals, and lecture halls. With a passion for education and youth development, he founded the MK Musa Foundation, alongside young leaders committed to empowering communities through education and other tools of transformation. Since 2024, he has also volunteered on the Edufurther platform, offering free mentorship to aspiring scholars. These efforts earned him the Grassroots Educational Ambassador Award from the National Association of Kwara State Students, Usmanu Danfodiyo University chapter. His mentorship embodies a belief that knowledge is not complete until it is shared, and leadership is not meaningful unless it uplifts others.

His story also mirrors the broader vision of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), the global body advocating for the evolution of pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, and education. This year’s World Pharmacist Day theme-‘Think Health, Think Pharmacist’-perfectly aligns with his career. By advancing research, reshaping policies, mentoring the next generation, and directly improving patient care, he exemplifies how pharmacists today extend far beyond the pill counter.

From humble beginnings in rural Kwara State to international lecture halls and globally cited research, his journey illustrates resilience, brilliance, and service. It reminds us that pharmacists are not simply dispensers of medicine but guardians of patient safety, architects of health systems, and advocates for policy reform.

The breakthrough at ABUTH marked the first chapter in a life dedicated to innovation. But it was only a beginning. Today, his work continues to resonate across continents, shaping healthcare conversations and practices in ways that will protect lives for generations to come.

Indeed, the path he has carved embodies the essence of going beyond the pill-toward safer, smarter, and more inclusive healthcare for all.

Concerned tanker drivers across the country have dissociated themselves from a self-styled ‘PTD Elders Forum,’ describing the group as faceless impostors bent on destabilising the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and National Gas Workers (NUPENG).

The drivers said that the group, which is not recognised by the PTD bylaws or NUPENG constitution, has been spreading falsehood to mislead the public.

They aligned with NUPENG president, Comrade Williams Akporeha and general secretary, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, who earlier warned that the so-called Elders Forum consists of infiltrators with sinister motives.

The NUPENG leaders reaffirmed that Comrade Augustine Egbon remains the duly elected national chairman of PTD-NUPENG, having emerged at the branch Delegates Conference in Lagos on July 3, 2024.

At a press briefing in Lagos, tanker drivers from Kaduna, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Warri zones denounced the PTD Elders, insisting that they are not genuine members.

Comrade Bashir Izalan of Kaduna zone said: ‘We don’t have anything like PTD Elders in our hierarchy. The only chairman we recognise is Comrade Egbon, whose leadership has been transparent and supportive of our welfare.’

Speaking for the Lagos zone, Comrade Itanola Abiodun urged security agencies to investigate and prosecute the impostors. He said, ‘Every member belongs to a unit and zone. These people cannot even state where they come from. They are hired to wreak havoc in our union.’

From Port Harcourt, Comrade Chukwudi Okafor dismissed claims that PTD leaders mismanage drivers’ dues.

He explained that check-off dues and loading fees paid by truck owners fund health insurance, welfare and emergency needs.

‘We are beneficiaries of these services; and we trust our leaders. The impostors have no business questioning how the funds are used,’ he said.

In Warri, Comrade Dennis Akore accused disgruntled ex-members of sponsoring the so-called PTD Elders after losing in last year’s election.

‘When they were in office, drivers benefitted nothing. Now, they are plotting to hijack the union through the backdoor. Some even attacked our national officers in Abuja and are still facing criminal charges,’ he alleged.

The tanker drivers urged the government and security agencies to support PTD-NUPENG’s legitimate leadership, stressing that the union has continued to provide welfare, protection and a sense of belonging to drivers nationwide.

The most successful U-17 male national football team in the world, the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria, on Tuesday September 30, presented an unwanted 65th Independence Day celebration gift to the country when they failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON Championship.

The five-time world champions were beaten 2-1 by Ghana in the second semi-final of the WAFU-B Championship, which also serves as qualifiers for the U-17 AFCON. The host country, Cote d’Ivoire, had defeated Burkina Faso 2-1 in the first semi-final match. Therefore, both the Baby Elephants and the Black Starlets will represent WAFU-B at the continental showpiece where 10 teams would qualify for Qatar 2026 World Cup.

Following the pre-Independence mishap in Cote d’Ivoire, the Golden Eaglets have now failed twice in a row to qualify for the World Championship, a testament to the sharp decline in the fortunes of the cadet national team. Nigeria’s last appearance at the FIFA U-17 World Cup was in 2019 in Brazil, but the team failed to go beyond the round of 16.

In Brazil, the Coach Manu Garba led Eaglets topped their group but fell 1-3 to the Netherlands in the Round of 16. The 2021 edition was cancelled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which altered many human activities, but the World Championship returned in 2023 without the Golden Eaglets. Nigeria missed out of the party because the Nduka Ugbade squad had failed to reach the semi-finals at the 2023 AFCON. They ended their campaign at the quarter-final stage after losing 1-2 to Burkina Faso, the same team they had beaten by the same margin in the final of the WAFU B championship in Ghana. The failure to qualify for Indonesia 2023 led to the sack of Ugbade and other members of the technical crew.

After giving Ugbade the boot, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), with a penchant for recycling failed coaches, brought back Manu Garba to continue from where he stopped in 2019. The appointment of the former World Cup winner was greeted with condemnation from most Nigerians who wanted a new generation football coach to be assigned the responsibility of discovering future Super Eagles.

Those who opposed the return of Manu Garba did so not out of hatred for the Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) but because of their conviction that as long as the older generation of coaches are preferred to the emerging managers who have already proven their mettle with youth teams in the country, we shall continue to run in circles. Sadly, this is happening already as the once flourishing Golden Eaglets are no longer good enough to even qualify for the AFCON U-17 Championship.

Personally, I have so much respect for Coach Garba because of the meritorious services he has rendered to the nation in his active days as a player and now as a coach. As we all know, the 59-year-old Gombe State born football tactician is a proud winner of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2013 and the prestigious AFCON U-20 title in 2015. He is also credited with discovering and nurturing Super Eagles stars like Kelechi Iheanacho, Taiwo Awoniyi, Kelechi Nwakali, Isaac Success, Musa Mohammed, Musa Yahaya, etc.

However, nothing lasts forever. Just as we have tired legs, we also have tired brains. So, many are of the opinion that now is the time for Garba to honourably leave the stage because soon Nigerians would forget that he once gave them joyous moments. After all, it is said that a coach is as good as his last match. And what is Garba’s last match? It is the failure to qualify his team for the next FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

It may be argued that he is still a good coach, but between 2013 and now, a lot of water has passed under the bridge. It is either his hunger for results has diminished or he has consciously surrendered his team selection to greedy football agents. In fact, I was shocked when a known football agent in Nigeria wrote on behalf of Garba to invite players for screening in Uyo. You heard me right: a football agent invited players for screening on behalf of the coach. Therefore, the end result didn’t come to me as a surprise.

But soon after the Eaglets crashed out of the WAFU-B Championship on Tuesday, the coach who spoke during a press conference blamed his team’s failure on the ‘imbalance’ in the allocation of slots to the football zones in Africa. He said it was unfair for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to allocate only two slots to WAFU-B, which, according to him, is housing the continent’s most formidable and successful cadet national teams.

It will be recalled that in CAF’s allocation of slots for the U-17 AFCON, WAFU-A with eight countries have three slots; WAFU-B with seven countries have two; North Africa Zone with five countries have three slots; the Central Zone with eight countries have two; East Zone with 10 countries have three slots while the South Zone with 12 countries have three, making a total of 16 teams for the continental tournament.

Coach Garba, therefore, is advocating that one more slot be allocated to WAFU-B comprising Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, Togo, and Benin Republic. His argument is that going by the present arrangement, CAF is denying the continent of credible representation at the World Cup. The embattled coach has a valid point because Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso have the potential to perform on the world’s biggest stage at any given opportunity. Unfortunately, if the current ‘evil route’ to the AFCON U-17 is maintained, every year, the world would be denied the opportunity of watching some of the prodigious talents from Africa because two out of the four heavyweights must drop out.

Even as I fully support Garba’s call for CAF to increase the slots for WAFU-B from two to at least three, I still insist that he has failed the country again. Considering Nigeria’s pedigree as the most successful team in the world cadet championship and the talents that abound in the country, we shouldn’t beg for more slots for us to qualify for the AFCON. In Cote d’Ivoire, two tickets were at stake, yet the Eaglets failed to pick one. Where is the guarantee that if the slots are eventually increased, we would easily clinch one?

Well, instead of crying over spilt milk, let us demand positive changes from the concerned authorities. The NFF should find a young and knowledgeable coach like Olumide Ajibolade of Beyond Limits to replace Manu Garba. Apart from Ajibolade, there are so many other new generation coaches who can make a difference. Coach Garba, too, should know that he is gradually becoming a serial failure, which is not good for his reputation. Therefore, he shouldn’t hesitate to hand over the baton to a younger colleague when asked to do so.

We have to act fast because as we continue to toy around with our youth national teams, we are inevitably laying the foundation for more future catastrophes in football. It is, indeed, worrisome that Nigeria is no longer developing future Super Eagles players. Instead of going forward, we are consistently running backwards.

The Nigerian Library Association (NLA) has expressed deep appreciation to the First Lady and wife of the president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her ‘unprecedented’ fundraising initiative aimed at completing the long-abandoned National Library of Nigeria headquarters in Abuja.

In a statement signed by its President, Dr. Lawal Umar, and Secretary, Dr. Amogu Uma Kalu, the association described the First Lady’s gesture as ‘a selfless and visionary act of patriotism’ that has rekindled hope in the country’s educational infrastructure.

‘Your Excellency, we are deeply moved and inspired by your innovative approach to securing essential resources,’ the statement read.

Recall, rather than receive personal gifts to mark her 65th birthday, Senator Tinubu requested well-wishers and donors to contribute to the National Library Project Fund. The strategy, which transformed a private celebration into a national call to action, has so far yielded N20.7 billion, with the donation account expected to remain open until December 2025.

According to the NLA, ‘The funds raised through this noble initiative represent more than just financial contributions; but the collective goodwill and belief of the Nigerian people in the potential of a national library – a belief you, Your Excellency, have effectively energised.’

The National Library project, which has suffered decades of delay and underfunding, has long been a source of disappointment to stakeholders in the education sector. The NLA noted that Senator Tinubu’s intervention has ‘injected vital momentum into this crucial project’ and ‘shone a powerful spotlight on the importance of knowledge, literacy, and national infrastructure for intellectual growth.’

‘When completed, this building will be the epicentre of intellectual inquiry, a repository of our nation’s history and knowledge, and a crucial resource center for students, legislators, researchers, and every Nigerian citizen,’ the association stated.

The NLA also called on the Federal Government and National Assembly to commit to sustained operational funding, stressing that ‘generous, long-term funding is essential for the library to fulfil its mandate.’

In recent years, Nigeria has witnessed an alarming wave of emigration popularly referred to as the ‘Japa’ phenomenon. Doctors, nurses, engineers, academics, and even skilled artisans are leaving the country in droves, seeking better opportunities abroad. While migration has always been part of human history, the scale and speed at which Nigeria is losing its skilled workforce has reached a level that now threatens national development. The brain drain is no longer just a talking point in urban conversations; it has become a crisis that cuts across households, communities, and critical sectors of the economy.

The health sector is perhaps the hardest hit. According to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), tens of thousands of doctors have left Nigeria for countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and the United States in the past decade. Hospitals across Nigeria are grappling with a severe shortage of healthcare professionals, leading to long waiting times, overworked staff, and increased patient mortality. Many nurses now see foreign recruitment agencies as their gateway to a dignified life, leaving local hospitals understaffed. For patients in rural areas, accessing basic healthcare has become an uphill task.

The education sector is also bleeding. University lecturers, frustrated by poor wages, dilapidated facilities, and constant strikes, are relocating abroad where their skills are better appreciated. This exodus has worsened the quality of tertiary education in Nigeria, as institutions struggle to retain experienced faculty members. The result is a growing gap in mentorship for young scholars and declining global rankings for Nigerian universities. Parents who can afford it increasingly send their children abroad for education, further depleting confidence in the local system.

Technology and engineering are not spared. Nigeria’s young tech talents, once hailed as the pride of Africa’s Silicon Savannah, are being lured abroad by multinational firms offering better pay, stable infrastructure, and access to global networks. Startups that could have thrived locally lose their best hands to overseas opportunities. Similarly, engineers in the oil, gas, and construction sectors find little incentive to remain in a system plagued by erratic policies, corruption, and limited innovation.

The push factors behind this mass migration are well known: insecurity, high unemployment, inflation, poor working conditions, and lack of trust in governance. For many, the decision to leave is not merely about money but about the pursuit of dignity, safety, and hope. Young professionals often describe Nigeria as a place where talent is stifled and dreams are deferred, whereas other countries offer a clearer pathway to personal growth and professional fulfilment.

The impact on families and communities is profound. While remittances from abroad have become a lifeline for many households, the emotional toll of separation cannot be overlooked. Parents are separated from children, communities lose vibrant youth, and the nation loses the very people it needs to build its future. The irony is that Nigeria spends significant resources training these professionals, only for them to contribute their expertise to foreign economies.

Economists warn that the long-term implications of unchecked brain drain are dire. A shrinking skilled workforce will stifle innovation, reduce productivity, and weaken critical sectors like health and education. Without urgent intervention, Nigeria risks becoming a nation heavily dependent on imported expertise, undermining its sovereignty and capacity to compete in a globalised world.

To stem the tide, experts suggest a multifaceted approach. First, the government must prioritise investment in education and healthcare, ensuring professionals are adequately remunerated and provided with conducive working environments. Second, policies that promote entrepreneurship and job creation must be strengthened to give young people reasons to stay. Third, restoring security and trust in governance will reduce the sense of hopelessness that drives people abroad. Finally, engaging the Nigerian diaspora in nation-building-through knowledge transfer, partnerships, and incentives-could turn the brain drain into a ‘brain gain.’

The Chief Whip of the 10th Senate, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, has launched a foreign scholarship scheme for 11 young graduates from Borno North, in what he described as the first legislature-facilitated international scholarship package in the state’s history.

The initiative, tagged the M.T. Monguno Foreign Scholarship Scheme, was unveiled in Maiduguri, where the senator formally presented the awards to the beneficiaries.

A statement from his media office in Abuja on Friday said the scheme will fully fund master’s degree programmes in India for the selected candidates, who emerged after a rigorous and transparent screening exercise.

‘Each of them holds at least a Second Class Upper degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics and passed an aptitude test conducted by an independent committee.

‘The scholarship, worth hundreds of millions of naira, covers tuition, accommodation, living expenses, laptops, academic materials, visa and travel costs. The students will spend two years abroad, with the first year dedicated to coursework and the second to research’, the statement said.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Monguno said the scheme was designed as a direct intervention to rebuild Northern Borno, a region that has suffered years of insurgency.

He noted that the initiative aligned with Governor Babagana Zulum’s education-driven recovery agenda.

‘This initiative is a deliberate effort to empower our brightest youths with the tools to compete globally and return home to rebuild our communities. Northern Borno deserves no less, and we must continue to rise above the scars of insurgency through education and opportunity,’ Monguno said.

The senator pledged to sustain the programme annually, describing it as an investment in human capital that would yield long-term benefits for the state and Nigeria at large.

The move has drawn commendation from stakeholders, who said it set a historic precedent for lawmakers’ direct involvement in educational development and could inspire similar interventions across other senatorial districts.

‘I was a student at a Federal College of Education then, living on campus. Every weekend, a friend who lived off-campus would bring bottles of cough syrup and my friends would take it and sleep like babies. I later took an interest and started taking it too. Although some of them used other drugs, cough syrup was my only choice. When my parents found out, they ordered my return home. That was the best decision because my parents placed me under close monitoring, which helped me stop the addiction. Another effective step they took was separating me from my friends. I have stopped now, and I don’t think I will ever go back to it,’ she said.

This was the revelation of Maryam Sani, who is now rehabilitated. She said she was pushed into substance abuse out of depression and frustration. She explained that most women involved in drug use were usually frustrated or depressed.

‘It is either through frustration or depression that some women begin to take drugs for relief, and before they know it, they are addicted. For younger girls, their boyfriends usually introduce them to drugs, especially when parents are not paying attention to what their daughters are doing or who they associate with. The situation requires parental vigilance, as well as God’s protection,’ she said.

Drug abuse has been of growing concern for families, society, and to a larger extent, the authorities. This growing burden has become overwhelming and taken various degrees of toll on the affected persons, with concerns becoming more vocal and strategic.

Weekend Trust spotlights some of the issues that have pushed women, especially married ones, into this downward trend. Speaking under anonymity, Hafsatu Idi (real name withheld), narrated her ordeal on how her life changed after meeting an older woman in Lagos. Idi said that at 22, she began taking hormonal drugs that flattened her breasts because she wanted to appear more masculine.

‘I told them that I was a man, not a woman and begged to be taken to the male facility,’ she said.

She said it was her much older friend of over 50 years that introduced her to substance abuse and even bought her male outfits to reinforce the ‘identity’.

Idi said she was once a chef at a prestigious hotel before her promising career was cut short after she was lured into drugs.

‘I thank God that I am now back with my parents and in school again,’ she said, adding that it was poverty and lack of contentment that led her into drugs. She explained that her initiator admired her beauty and paid her a huge amount of money to behave like a male in order to ‘please her sexually’.

She revealed that after rehabilitation, she regained her health and confidence, while her body assumed its natural shape.

For Aisha Hamidu, a mother of three in a polygamous marriage, the emotional agony became unbearable. She could not stand the thought of her husband being with his other wives, a simple truth that plunged her into a deep sense of despair.

Seeking an escape from the reality that had dawned on her, she turned to an unconventional solution. She said, ‘I needed a way to turn off my mind. When he was with them, I would take codeine and it would make me drowsy, help me to sleep and give me a temporary relief from pain and heartbreak.’

What started as a coping mechanism quickly spiralled out of control to become a comfort zone for her. The addiction worsened, consuming her life until she was eventually found and taken to a rehabilitation centre, a painful but necessary step towards reclaiming her life.

Rose Yohanna also narrated how substance abuse destroyed her life, sharing a story that revealed the devastating personal cost of addiction.

A former nurse, who many would believe should understand the medical and personal risks of substance abuse, ironically became a victim herself.

Rose confessed that she was driven to addiction by the emotional turmoil she experienced in her marriage. ‘I felt overwhelmed and helpless, so I began to take injections to forget my pain,’ she recalled.

The temporary escape, however, came at a terrifying price. When she was admitted to the rehabilitation centre with her seven-week-old baby, she was told that the child could not stay with her because her breast milk was contaminated with drugs, making it unsafe for her newborn to consume.

‘It was a horrifying reality that I was poisoning the baby I was supposed to be nourishing and protecting,’ she explained. She also revealed that her first child already showed strange behaviours due to the long-term substance abuse during her pregnancy.

‘These are the painful social consequences of addiction, not just for the person involved but the innocent lives they impact,’ she noted.

Aisha Mohammed (real name withheld), a one-time chartered accountant from a prominent Adamawa background, also shared her experience, disclosing how her struggle began after her father’s death left her with property and wealth.

She said, ‘I inherited a huge amount of money and was overwhelmed. I wanted to feel in control, so I went into drugs. Each time I got high, I felt above everyone.’

She explained that despite her privileged background, she left her home at the GRA to live in Vinikland with a man she described as a street tout.

‘I was already HIV positive before I met him, but I didn’t tell him,’ she confessed.

She said drug use helped to deepen her attachment to the man, and at one point, she tested positive for four different substances.

‘When I went deep into taking hard drugs, I began to lose my appetite for food, and that made me look like a skeleton. I was like a skeleton when I first came in for treatment,’ she recalled.

After rehabilitation, she said she was able to rebuild her life, eventually getting married to a man who also lives with HIV. ‘It is not the end of life,’ she reiterated, adding that she has since secured work as an accountant and is living happily with her husband.

The growing wave of drug abuse among women, especially young girls and married women, is also becoming a disturbing reality in Kaduna and other parts of Nigeria, raising the alarm among health advocates and community leaders.

A 24-year-old woman, who begged for anonymity, said she only completed secondary school before she started using drugs, adding that she has been abusing substances for about five years.

‘I take codeine, rohypnol and marijuana. I don’t smoke cigarettes,’ she said. On how she got introduced to drugs, she explained, ‘It was my friend who first introduced me to it. Whenever I take it, I feel charged; like I am in a different world. It gives me pleasure; and it doesn’t make me sleep.’

She narrated how she managed to keep her drug use a secret at home. ‘I have never been caught taking drugs because I don’t use them at home. And since I live in another town, anytime I return to Nasarawa State, I don’t take drugs. That’s why they don’t know about it,’ she said.

She also said she once attempted to quit. ‘I tried to stop about a year ago, but I couldn’t. Depression made me go back. My boyfriend doesn’t take drugs, but I do. I don’t feel happy knowing that I am using drugs, especially because I have friends who don’t take them. I wish I were not doing this. The cost is another problem, especially with codeine, because a bottle is sold at N12,000 for regular users,’ she noted.

Thirty-five-year-old Sa’adatu Usman, from Adamawa State, shared her story of struggle and recovery. She recalled her life before drugs as one full of hope. ‘Life was full of dreams. I was a young mother with hopes for school, family, and a better future. I was happily married, but vulnerable because I didn’t fully understand how to cope with pain and pressure.’

Drug abuse among women

Her journey into drug use began with the influence of friends and her environment. ‘At first, it looked like something that would make me forget my worries. But slowly, I found myself depending on it as I experimented with substances that young people around me were taking. What started as a once-in-a-while thing became a daily routine.’ The consequences, she explained, touched every part of her life. ‘It affected every part of me. My health deteriorated; I lost focus in my studies, and I grew distant from my family. I hurt people who cared about me. Financially, I wasted money that could have been used for better things.’ What hurt most, she said, was losing herself: ‘Drugs took away my identity, my self-respect, and my peace of mind.’

Eventually, she decided to seek change. ‘I realised I couldn’t continue like that,’ she said. With support from her family, she went into rehabilitation. The process was tough. ‘It was not easy. I had to fight my cravings, my emotions, and the stigma. But every day I stayed clean gave me more strength. The support around me made it possible.’

Even after recovery, the struggle did not disappear. ‘Yes, I struggled with the urges. The temptation never fully disappears. But I learned coping strategies; prayer, positive activities, avoiding old friends, and staying close to people who want the best for me.’

Now free from drugs since 2016, Sa’adatu says her life has completely changed. ‘I have peace of mind. I can dream, study and live again. I value relationships more, and I see myself with hope for the future.’ Her message to other women is simple: ‘You are not alone, and you are not beyond help. Recovery is possible. Don’t be ashamed to ask for support. If I could rise again, so can you. Choose life, healing, and never give up on yourself.’

Twenty-five-year-old Safiyya Shafi’u from Katsina State described how her journey started with peer pressure in secondary school. ‘I heard my classmates talk about it all the time. They would invite me, but I never gave in. I always told myself it wasn’t for me. But one day, I followed them, and that was how it all began,’ she said. They had even rented an apartment where they would gather with other students from across the state. ‘That place became our hideout. We smoked cannabis, cigarettes, and sometimes the boys brought alcohol, and danced to high music. It started small, but it kept growing,’ she recalled.

At first, she managed to hide it from her family. ‘I took small quantities and made sure I wasn’t too high before going home. My parents didn’t suspect anything. But soon, I became addicted, and it was harder to cover up. My mother became suspicious and kept an eye on me, and eventually discovered the truth.’

The discovery shook her family. ‘They seized my phone, stopped me from going out, and later took me for tests and rehabilitation. It was a difficult process. The cravings were strong, and I felt ashamed, but with prayers and my family’s support, I began to heal,’ she explained.

Safiyya believes she was only able to stop because her family refused to give up on her. ‘If they had abandoned me, I don’t think I would have recovered. Some of the people I used to do it with are still hooked. I’m grateful my parents stood by me. It wasn’t easy, but it is possible to stop with the right support.’

For many years, drug abuse has been seen as a problem that mainly affects men. It is often linked to young men who are unemployed or involved in crime. But this view does not tell the full story. Women are also using drugs; and their experiences are just as real. Some women turn to drugs because of personal struggles at home, financial hardship or emotional stress. Others use them in secret to deal with pain or loneliness.

Because of stigma and fear of judgement, women often hide their drug use issues, which makes it harder for them to find help. The effect is not only on them but also on their children, families and communities around them.

Weekend Trust spoke to women in some northern parts of the country to hear their experiences. Many of them shared how drug use started with small habits like taking painkillers or cough syrup before it grew into daily dependence. Some said they used drugs to escape from problems at home, while others said it was the only way they could cope with the pressures of life. Their stories reveal how widespread the issue is and how urgently it needs attention.

One of the women spoken to, Hafsat Mohammed, 20, from Kano State, shared her story, detailing a journey that began at 17 with cannabis use. Before this, she had only tried codeine and pills on two occasions, she said.

Hafsat explained that her drug use started a year after a traumatic experience, though she had been exposed to hard drugs and alcohol use while growing up. She was raped by two male friends, resulting in a pregnancy, which she aborted. ‘I was raped by two of my male friends at 16, got pregnant and had to abort it,’ she said.

The emotional aftermath of this event significantly affected her mental health. She had already struggled with mental breakdowns before the incident. ‘It affected my mental health a lot. Even before then, I used to have bad mental breakdowns. My parents are divorced, so I grew up with my mother,’ she narrated.

Now, she relies on cannabis supplied by a male friend as an escape route from the effects of her parents’ separation, she revealed.

Hafsat has not sought professional help, believing that if there’s a need for that, it would be for the trauma of the rape, not the drugs, which she claimed gave her a sense of calmness she desperately needed.

She described her routine as smoking and sleeping for extended periods. When the weight of her experiences becomes too much, she turns to drugs for relief. ‘I fall back on drugs when I feel too depressed and need relief. I smoke, get high and have long hours of sleep,’ she said.

Also speaking in confidence to our reporter, Jamila Jimmy, a 21-year-old drug abuse victim, revealed that she was lured into drugs by her friends after a failed marriage. She explained that after her marriage collapsed, she realised the fault was partly hers and tried to reconcile with her ex-husband. However, he was adamant and vowed never to have anything to do with her again. When it became obvious that she was not going back to him, she got depressed; that was when her romance with drugs started.

‘When I became very depressed, a friend who had just moved into the neighbourhood introduced me to ‘White.’ She told me that it could ‘wipe away my worries’. Surprisingly, it did, and I started buying it with my money. She also introduced me to cough syrup. That was when my parents found out I had been involved in drugs. They tried their best to save me. Thank God that I have reduced my drug intake, though I still take cough syrup from time to time,’ Jimmy revealed.

She regrets being involved in drug abuse, stressing that it destroys people’s future. ‘I am just 21, but I look over 30. I am trying to get my life back. Starting is very easy, but stopping is a battle you cannot win alone. As we speak, several women are being initiated into drug abuse. I wish I had not listened to my friend that day,’ she said remorsefully.

Another victim, who simply identified herself as Teema, told our reporter that peer influence dragged her into drug abuse. According to her, she was introduced to cough syrup at age 19, and at 25, she was still struggling to stop. According to her, cough syrup is the only drug she uses, noting that many of her friends take other intoxicants.

‘I didn’t know my wife was a drug addict’

A man who woke up to a rude shock of his wife being an addict after months of marriage, spoke with Weekend Trust under anonymity, narrating how he unknowingly married a wife who had gone deep into substance abuse, saying the experience left him traumatised and opened his eyes to the rising problem of drug abuse among women in the North.

He said he had no idea about his wife’s addiction until after their marriage.

‘It was a very horrible experience, honestly. I pray you and your children never have to go through what I went through. Only Almighty Allah can reward me for the patience I had during my marriage to her,’ he said.

He explained that during their courtship, she appeared healthy and well-composed, adding that he later discovered her mother and most of her family members knew about her addiction but kept it away from him. He said her mother ensured she avoided drugs on Fridays so she would look normal when he visited on Saturdays during their courtship. ‘They kept that part of her life away from me. If I had known, there was no way I would have married her,’ he said.

He said the first signs began to appear after the marriage when he noticed some unusual behaviours. ‘Sometimes we’d be sitting together in the parlour, she would go to the kitchen, take a bottle of Coke, mix it with Benylin cough syrup and some other drugs and return to sit with me. I wouldn’t even notice the difference as I would think she was just taking a soft drink,’ he recalled.

‘Most times, when I get back from work, she is always asleep and hardly cooked. All through our marriage, we were mostly eating out. I then realised that once she took the drug, it knocked her out and she sleeps all through.’

According to him, the problem worsened whenever he travelled to Kaduna to see his other family. ‘Each time I left Abuja, she would call her friends, about three to five of them, who were also into drugs. They would come over and stay for two or three days. By the time I returned, I would discover that food items had disappeared, and I kept wondering what was happening,’ he added.

He said his maid told him about some strange happenings anytime he was out of town, and he confronted his wife about her behaviour. She eventually confessed to being supplied by a dealer named Moses. ‘He would park at the estate gate and call her, and she would go out and collect the drugs herself so I wouldn’t know, he explained.

Illicit drugs being destroyed in Kano

‘Money never stayed long with her. Every Friday, before I travelled, I gave her N40,000 for airtime, but by Sunday she would call to say she had no airtime or money,’ he also said.

He recalled that the situation once put him in fear and brought him to the realisation that he had to call it quits.

The marriage, which lasted eight months, ended in divorce. He advised men to conduct proper checks before marriage. ‘Men should conduct thorough due diligence before getting married. Don’t rely on street information; get the truth from someone close to the family. In my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t have thought she was an addict,’ he recalled.

He added that the experience caused him trauma and taught him how widespread drug addiction has become among married women in the North.

‘However, I see it as a failure of social integration. If you’re not careful, you get drawn into groups you shouldn’t belong to and start following their path,’ he observed, adding that he had seen wealthy women in Abuja openly buying hard drugs.

He said the only consolation was that the marriage did not produce children. He also revealed that his ex-wife and her family had begged for reconciliation, but he refused. He prayed for God’s guidance, saying, ‘May Almighty Allah guide and protect us all.’

Divorce as a factor

Broken marriages have been said to be one of the reasons children abuse drugs. A mother, Halima Yakubu (real name withheld) corroborated this assertion while narrating her experience. She noted that her divorce led her daughter into drug abuse as her ex-husband married a woman who could not take care of her kids.

Revealing that her three children, including her only daughter, were left in the custody of her ex-husband, she expressed belief that her daughter, now 21, fell into substance abuse due to a lack of parental guidance. According to her, their stepmother did not show interest in her well-being and never bothered to ask where she went, what she ate or who her friends were, a situation that allowed her daughter to mingle with bad friends.

‘The woman he married never cared for my children; and my ex-husband was busy with his lovey-dovey while my children went astray,’ she said.

It was when the situation escalated that Halima’s attention was drawn to her daughter’s plight. With no other option, she was forced to admit her to a rehabilitation centre, which came at a significant cost of approximately N352,400 for a period of three months.

‘My attention was drawn when it was too late, and I had to rush her to a rehabilitation centre to receive treatment. I was advised not to pay them frequent visits because of how my ex-husband was,’ she explained. She prayed for divine intervention and advised divorced parents to ensure they cared for children in their custody so that they would not go astray.

She emphasised that God would hold those who fail in this duty accountable for their actions. ‘I pray that God guides every child who is in the custody of a stepmother/father. Men should know that God has given us children as an obligation. And he will ask us to account for their training in the hereafter,’ she said.

Another parent, Mary Kyauta (real name withheld), also shared her story, explaining that her 22-year-old daughter was pushed into substance abuse after a devastating heartbreak.

‘She fell in love with a man she dreamt of marrying. I had even started buying kitchen items for her, as we felt he would be sending his parents for a formal introduction at any moment. Then, my daughter saw a picture of his wedding card on a friend’s WhatsApp status, revealing that he was getting married in just two weeks,’ Mary recounted.

Overwhelmed by shock and grief, her daughter began to isolate herself. ‘Despite all my reassurances, I saw her break down.

‘I was busy with work and thought she had accepted her fate and moved on, not knowing that she had started abusing drugs,’ Mary said.

The truth was discovered when her other daughter shouted that her sister had fainted.

‘We rushed into the room and found different kinds of hard drugs. From the hospital, we were advised to take her to a rehabilitation centre,’ Mary explained.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at a site where assorted illicit drugs are destroyed in Abuja

Support system, a necessity

Similarly, Ali Bukar, a resident of Bawo Road in Hausawa Quarters, Kano, told Weekend Trust that he had been counselling a young woman (name withheld) who was addicted to codeine. Bukar said the woman left Takai town in Takai Local Government Area for Kano city after disagreeing with her parents over a marriage proposal from a suitor she did not love.

‘Unfortunately, mingling with wayward young women in the city changed her orientation, turning her into a codeine addict. I have been counselling her against the habit and advising her to stop associating with bad characters. Her parents love her and would never knowingly allow her to marry someone who could harm her. I am not sure she is ready to drop the habit because she no longer comes around,’ Bukar said.

Usman Musa Dan Mari, chairman of Kano State Youth Awareness Against Drug Abuse and Other Related Crimes (KASYADAREC), said many factors were responsible for women’s involvement in substance abuse. He listed forced marriages, divorce, peer pressure and frustration or depression, especially among married women who have been abandoned by their spouses, as major triggers.

‘The commonly abused drug, codeine syrup, used to be sold below N500, but today, because of the high demand from women abusing it, the price has risen to as much as N5,000. Some women resort to drug abuse when forced by their parents into unwanted marriages.

‘Peer pressure also plays a critical role, while easy availability of drugs also makes it possible for them to be lured into the habit. It is, therefore, very advisable for parents to monitor the kind of friends their grown-up children associate with,’ he advised.

He further narrated how a housewife who inherited a fortune from her late husband became bankrupt within six months. Investigations later revealed that she was heavily addicted to cocaine and recklessly wasted all her money and assets on the substance, Dan Mari recalled and urged for extra vigilance from parents, community leaders and stakeholders.

Aliyu Muhammad, a resident of Kaduna who interacts with drug users, especially women, described the trend as deeply troubling.

‘The problem of drug abuse among women today is very disturbing. Even among married women, there are many who use drugs. I mingle a lot with people in brothels, and most women’s drug problems usually start from their relationships. If their boyfriends upset them, they take drugs or something else to forget their worries. When the ‘high’ kicks in, they start feeling like they are in another world.

‘Women now use drugs more than men. And every woman abusing drugs knows exactly what she is getting into; it is not that someone is taking advantage of her. They all know their condition but choose to keep quiet. Unlike alcohol, it doesn’t make them stagger or behave drunkenly.

‘Nowadays, even married women are into drugs. Codeine has almost entered every household because married women use it. But not everyone can afford it because of how expensive it is. A bottle costs between N12,000 and N15,000 for regular users. Some get it from their boyfriends, especially the single girls. Honestly, this is a very serious problem and there’s a need for deliberate action to tackle it within the community,’ he said.

Margaret Kwa’ada Julius, the founder of The Eye Opener Youth and Women Foundation in Kaduna, lamented the rising rate of female drug abusers in communities, describing it as a shared societal problem.

‘Yes, drug misuse among women in Nigeria is becoming more common. This is caused by many challenges they face, both at home and in society. We also have an overload of home responsibilities, poverty, trauma from hard experiences in Nigeria, such as kidnapping and banditry, neglect from husbands and lack of community help,’ she noted.

For younger girls, she explained that poor parenting, abuse, neglect, trauma, discrimination and lack of emotional support were driving many into drug use.

‘Sadly, many women do not feel safe asking for help because they fear being judged, shamed or stigmatised. This fear keeps them suffering in silence and becoming more addicted to drugs. Until the entire community begins to see drug misuse as a health issue and not a moral failure, many women will continue to hide instead of seeking help.

‘We need more people to become recovery allies who support those struggling with drug misuse instead of blaming or rejecting them. Marriage counsellors, parents, teachers, faith leaders and drug prevention professionals all have a role to play. When a girl turns to drugs, it is often a sign that the adults and systems around her have failed,’ she noted, calling for more empathy and community support.

She said, ‘In Kaduna State, the government has taken steps by setting up a treatment system for people who misuse drugs. However, the cost of treatment is not affordable for many. This is why prevention through awareness and education is very important. It is cheaper and more effective in the long run.

‘Helping women and girls stay away from drugs is everyone’s responsibility. With the right support, understanding and teamwork, there is hope for a better future. We must go beyond sympathy for women struggling with drugs. The society must have empathy for women who misuse drugs. Above all, let faith leaders go back to their original assignments and do it well.’

Maimuna Garba Muhammad, a deputy commander of narcotics and assistant state commander of the Drug Demand Reduction Unit (DDRU), Kano State strategic command of the NDLEA, said the factors responsible for women’s indulgence in substance abuse included lack of proper upbringing, inadequate training and family support, frustration in marriages, flashy lifestyles of others and peer group pressure.

She said the function of the unit includes counselling, guidance, rehabilitation, sensitisation and collaboration with other stakeholders to sustain the fight against drug abuse.

The deputy commander cited the case of a female student of Bayero University Kano (name withheld), who was living off campus in a rented apartment while pursuing her undergraduate programme, but was picked up by NDLEA operatives for indulging in drug abuse. At home, the student, who hails from Kaduna State, appeared responsible, but at school, she was discovered to be a drug user, not a dealer. She was introduced to drugs by her boyfriend, whom she met on campus.

After undergoing counselling at the NDLEA rehabilitation unit, the parents of the student were cautioned against disowning her. Instead, they were advised to take her back and enrol her in a university nearby so that they could monitor her closely and avoid complicating her case.

‘On several occasions, we picked up girls in age ranges of 17, 18, 19, 20 to 25 at hotels indulging in substance abuse. When asked why, they often say it is because of failed marriages, frustration, or because their parents are dead or unable to feed them, and they needed to survive.

‘Some of them want to stop after counselling and treatment, but it is difficult. That is why we conduct follow-ups after clients leave. Some relapse into the habit. Treatment is not 100 per cent effective,’ she noted.

She also recalled the case of an unmarried young woman (name withheld) who was brought to the unit for substance abuse but became pregnant during the process.

The young woman was kept at the facility for months to care for her and the unborn child and ensure that she did not abort the pregnancy. However, she later changed her SIM card and relocated to Jos to avoid stigma. She also narrated the case of a housewife involved in substance abuse, explaining that through counselling and religious sessions with clerics and family members, the woman returned to her husband and completely stopped the habit and now lives happily with her spouse.

Why women are vulnerable – Psychiatrist

Dr Amina Kasim Garba, a psychiatrist, says that substance abuse among women is often linked to deep-rooted vulnerabilities. ‘In my clinical practice, one of the most common factors I have seen is a history of abuse, particularly sexual abuse,’ she explained. Many of her female patients battling substance use disorders had suffered such experiences, and for some, drugs became a coping mechanism or a form of escape. She added that untreated mental health conditions, such as depression or bipolar disorder, along with peer pressure from both male and female peers, also play a major role.

On the mental health side, Dr Amina warned that substance use can damage self-esteem and trigger other psychiatric conditions, including psychosis, a state in which ‘a person has a split from reality.’ Because drug use alters brain chemistry, recovery is rarely straightforward. ‘This is why it can be difficult to quit without medical help or support, as the withdrawal symptoms can be debilitating,’ she explained.

Families, meanwhile, often carry the burden, worrying about their loved ones, struggling with stigma, and facing financial strain from the high costs of rehabilitation.

Dr Amina stressed two major barriers that keep many women from seeking treatment: stigma and lack of support. The shame attached to drug use makes it difficult for women to open up, even when they desperately want help. ‘It is important for us to hold space and be safe spaces that people can share what they are going through without fear of shame,’ she said.

Contributions from Ibrahim Musa Giginyu, Ahmad Datti, Kano, Fatima Boyi Mahuta, Amina Abdullahi, Yola, and Mohammed Yaba, Kaduna