Aura for Aura
A new Senate bill is stirring controversy and making stakeholders mad
Good morning, Big Brains. If there’s anyone who absolutely needs a break, it’s me. I’ve been the victim of adulthood twice this week, but I’m grateful to God for keeping me sane. I’ve earned this weekend; see you next week!
- Margaret
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Let’s get into today’s edition:
A new Senate bill is stirring controversy and making stakeholders mad
Nigerian Labour Congress wants to shut Abuja down
The Big Deal
A new Senate bill is stirring controversy and making stakeholders mad
It’s not every day we insert ourselves in the Senate’s business, but today is one of those days. A new bill is driving some people crazy and making others excited; let’s talk about it.
The bill, backed by Senator Rufai Hanga of Kano Central, is designed to establish a National Institute on Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation. On paper, it sounds like a cute way to address Nigeria’s growing drug problem, but many stakeholders do not agree.
On Wednesday, June 25, Senator Hanga argued that this new body would shift the focus from solely punishing offenders to helping them recover and rejoin society.
The Senator representing Delta North, Senator Ned Nwoko, who has been pushing his own version of a substance abuse centre for his state, also supported the bill. He mentioned that a student-led non-profit organisation submitted a similar draft in his constituency, asking for a solution to drug abuse among youths.
But the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Ministry of Justice are giving this bill a hard pass because it sounds like “a duplication of effort that we can’t afford.” NDLEA says they’re already handling everything the bill promises, from sensitisation and rehab to research. They pointed out that they even got partnerships with the health ministry to show for it.
The Ministry of Justice backed them with a bit of international name-dropping, pointing to the 1988 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances and claiming Nigeria’s current multi-agency approach already ticks the boxes of the convention’s conclusion. Instead of starting from scratch, they say we should pump more resources into existing agencies like the NDLEA and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Why is this a big deal?
As of 2023, 14.3 million Nigerians, from age 15 to 64, were drug abusers. The NDLEA also said that drug abuse has worsened in Nigeria since 2018, with many users moving from substances like cannabis and alcohol to more dangerous narcotics such as heroin and cocaine.
Drug use in Nigeria is much higher than the global average of 5.6% recorded in 2016. What’s more alarming is that there are fewer than 200 psychiatrists remaining in the country. That’s one psychiatrist for every 70,000 Nigerians. These psychiatrists are expected to tackle addiction, mental illness, trauma, and everything in between. When you consider how disturbing the data is, a bill like this shouldn’t be ruffling so many feathers.
It’s true that the NDLEA has about 30 rehabilitation centres and existing partnerships, but it is also not enough. The agency’s main focus is enforcement and prohibition; rehab and public education usually come second, so this bill could create a focused body solely dedicated to awareness, treatment, reintegration, and research, without stretching the NDLEA any thinner.
On the other hand, there’s no denying that the counterargument is valid too: do we build something new from scratch or just give more power, funding, and attention to what we already have? Nigeria isn’t exactly in its strongest financial year, and according to the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission, merging or scrapping redundant government agencies could save Nigeria about ₦1 trillion.
Either way, the government needs to pick a struggle. Whether it's strengthening NDLEA, empowering NAFDAC, or setting up this new institute, there’s an urgent need to address Nigeria’s drug abuse problem.
Nigerian Labour Congress wants to shut Abuja down
Nigeria and low-quality problems go together like bread and beans; the worst part is that these problems don’t even need to exist. A classic example is the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) threatening to shut down Abuja because of wage-related issues that have remained unresolved for months.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the NLC has been exploring polite means to get the government's attention, but since that hasn’t worked out well, it is now preparing to take action right after President Bola Tinubu wraps up his July 3 project inauguration parade.
FCT NLC Chairman, Dr. Stephen Knabayi, confirmed the plan in an interview on Thursday, June 26, saying the protest is a last resort after several ignored ultimatums and unfulfilled promises. The workers are not just demanding the minimum wage; they want the full package: 25% and 35% salary increases, a ₦35,000 wage award, and an explanation for why the ₦70,000 minimum wage that was briefly paid in May 2025 suddenly vanished in June.
The NLC had issued a seven-day ultimatum on June 13, which expired on June 20. But in a rare show of patience, it paused action out of respect for Tinubu’s second-year-in-office project unveilings.
Unfortunately, that patience has expired, and a strike might disrupt the daily lives of Nigerians living in Abuja. Unless someone decides to fix what shouldn’t have been broken in the first place, the capital city might soon be standing still.
From withheld salaries to pending pension payments, Nigerian civil workers have always been at the mercy of questionable government administrations, and the cycle just keeps repeating itself.
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This Week’s Big Question
Do you still believe in a “better Nigeria?”
Temi’s response - “I never believed in a better Nigeria; managing my expectations for this country is the only way to stay sane.”
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Shame wear me Tinubu cap
Whoever cursed the federal government to be such a perpetual debtor certainly did a number on the rest of us. Unfortunately, senior citizens and retirees are the latest victims of the chronic debtors in leadership.
I don't think the new bill is a bad idea 💁