FG pledges support for inclusive drug reform, justice system protections

The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to harm reduction, youth protection, and criminal justice reforms, as stakeholders push for stronger, inclusive, and human rights-based drug policies across the country.

The coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, restated this commitment, emphasizing the government’s support for interventions designed to protect and empower people who use drugs while expanding equitable access to treatment and counseling services.

Pate spoke in Abuja on Thursday at the opening of a two-day We Are People Conference 2025, themed ‘Young People, Excellence and Inclusivity’, where he described the conference as timely and strategic, offering a vital platform to expand pathways for harm reduction services across the country.

Pate, who was represented by Pharm. Abdulhamid Wosiliat noted that the Ministry currently operates eleven treatment and counselling centres nationwide, providing structured support for people who use drugs.

These facilities, he said, complement community-led and donor-supported programmes forming Nigeria’s growing harm reduction framework. He added that the Ministry remains committed to working closely with partners to scale up these programmes.

In her opening remarks, Executive Director of YouthRISE Nigeria, Oluwafisayo Alao-Amiola, stressed the need for Nigeria to build fairer and more inclusive systems that recognise the rights and potential of young people, especially those burdened by stigma and structural inequality.

She explained that the conference theme, Young People, Excellence and Inclusivity, reflects a movement that has evolved beyond a campaign into a national platform for justice.

“This is more than a conference title, it is the truth that sits at the heart of our theme for this year, calling us to recognize the brilliance of young people and the inclusive systems needed to help them thrive”, she said.

Alao-Amiola recalled that the We Are People campaign, launched over a decade ago to challenge stigma against young people who use drugs, has since expanded to address socioeconomic exclusion, disability related barriers, discriminatory policies, and systemic inequality.

“Our mission has always been clear, to amplify the voices of young people and champion their rights to fully participate in the systems that shape their lives”, she added, insisting that the brilliance of Nigeria’s youth must be matched by systems that do not punish or exclude them.

“The excellence of young people deserves systems that welcome them, policies that empower them, and communities that include them,” she noted.

The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Anthony Ojukwu, represented by Harry Obeche, also reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to protecting vulnerable young people within the criminal justice system.

He noted that although the Administration of Criminal Justice Act ACJA 2021 contains progressive safeguards against torture, arbitrary detention, and provides for non-custodial measures, implementation gaps continue to expose many young people, particularly the poor, to rights violations.

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He highlighted ongoing NHRC initiatives such as the Police Duty Solicitors Scheme, the Access to Justice for Detainees Programme, and the establishment of Human Rights Desks within police formations, aimed at ensuring that constitutional protections translate into real and enforceable rights.

A criminal justice expert and Executive Director of the Centre for Penal and Justice Development, Sulaiman Dawodu-Kuku, raised concerns about the state of Nigeria’s juvenile justice system.

He said thousands of children and young people still suffer harmful and outdated practices due to weak law implementation and fragmented legal frameworks.

According to him, the system often fails to separate adults from minors during detention, exposes children to regular criminal courts instead of family or youth courts, and denies vulnerable young people necessary procedural protections during police investigations.

These systemic failures not only violate human rights but also worsen long-term social outcomes for affected young people, he said.

Dawodu-Kuku stressed that international standards, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, require countries to set the minimum age of criminal responsibility at 12 years or above.

He said Nigeria must build a justice system that recognises the humanity of young people, one that protects, rehabilitates, and empowers rather than dehumanizes.