Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), has slammed Nigerian artistes, Adekunle Gold, Burna Boy and others who promote drug usage in their songs.

He decried the use of drug-promoting lyrics in songs, saying they have become a buzzword among youths.

Marwa spoke through Dr. Segun Oke during the 2nd edition of the Vanguard Mental Health Summit held in Lagos on Thursday with the theme being: ‘Mental Health in a Distressed Economy’.

According to the NDLEA boss, Nigeria’s young population with the help of these songs have come to see drug abuse as a ‘grand idea of leisure’.

He also described drug abuse as a ‘serious’ problem in the country, and disclosed that 10.6 million Nigerians abuse cannabis.

He said “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”.