Geographical Analysis of Illicit Drug Use in Nigeria: Evidence from the First National Drug Use Survey, 2018

In January 2019, Nigeria released its first national drug use report, which disclosed that nearly 15 million people in the country are drug users. This publication presented a window of opportunity for geographic insights into the emerging illicit drug use (IDU) epidemic in Nigeria. Using a mixed theory approach, we conducted an in-depth spatial analysis of the IDU epidemic with a view to determining the degree of clustering and identifying factors that can explain its geographic pattern in Nigeria. We detected geographic clustering and hot spots in Oyo State, southwest Nigeria. The multivariate spatial analysis found that state gross domestic product per capita and unemployment explain 15 to 37 percent of IDU among the thirty-six states and the Federal Capital Territory. Based on theoretical and empirical evidence of the study, the country’s drug policy needs to give due recognition to prevention and treatment as effective means of IDU control.