KPMG, in its Global Economy Outlook H1 2023 report, disclosed that the ever-increasing Nigerian unemployment rate was at 37.7% by the end of 2022 and projected to rise to 40.6% by the end of 2023. Additionally, the 2023 Macroeconomic Outlook report of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) projected the national poverty headcount to rise to 45% in the year. While these figures may just be statistics to many, they are a brutal reality for many Nigerian youths who are unemployed and being hardest hit by the country’s collapsing economy.
Between 2025 and 2023, Nigeria
experienced two economic recessions, and today, the economic growth is much
slower than required to sustain the approximately 200 million people of the
country. This slow economic growth is also incapable of absorbing the almost
five million youths who enter the job market upon completing higher education
each year. These youths make up the majority of the statistics of those
unemployed and underemployed.
The Laughing Gas Highs
With opportunities to earn a living diminishing in the country, many youths have limited options to put money in their pockets. While some youths turn tocasino games to momentarily escape the reality of the hard times, others find their escape in nitrous oxide canisters.
Nitrous oxide is
intended for use in patients undergoing dental surgeries. However, the odorless
and colorless gas is now a popular recreational drug amongst Nigeria’s youths.
Delivered in canisters and inflated into balloons, this drug is consumed by
sniffing the air in the balloons to get high. The high results in a calming
effect, and that euphoric feeling sends users into a fit of giggles, hence the
name “laughing gas.”
This momentary escape, though
instant, is short-lived. As a result, to keep experiencing the euphoria, you
must keep sniffing the gas from the balloons.
The Laughing Gas Lows
Most users of laughing gas claim
the drug has no side effects. However, clinical practices are phasing out its
use due to side effects such as impaired memory and disorientation.
Additionally, when used, the gas is administered with oxygen to minimize the
potential side effects.
The abuse of nitrogen oxide can
result in loss of consciousness, hallucinations, seizures, and in extreme
cases, death. Research shows that long term use of N20 also leads to deficiency
of Vitamin B12 among other neurological damages.
This information is not widely
known to most youths in Nigeria who abuse the drug. Even worse, those aware are
unwilling to quit taking laughing gas as it provides a few minutes of hope away
from the reality of the many struggles in Nigeria.
Additionally, the laughing gas is
not a cheap drug to enjoy. With a nitrous oxide canister costing approximately
100,000 nairas from most suppliers of the drug, most youths have to pool their
minimal finances together to afford a canister, inflate a balloon or two, and
pass it around. This continued cycle of abuse ensures that most youth can
barely afford basic needs such as shelter, clothing, and food.
The Ugly Face ofthe Economic Crisis
According to the National Bureau
of Statistics, as of September 2023, the food inflation in Nigeria hit a new
high of 30.64%. This means that even with a salary, it is hard for the common
Nigerian to afford staple foods. Consequently, affording transport is also a
challenge now that fuel prices are approximately 700 nairas per liter. The
average Nigerian worker lives paycheck to paycheck and is saddled
with loans just to get by. The situation for the unemployed youths in Nigeria
is even more dire.
Nigeria’s current inflation rate is 26%, the highest in
18 years. As the naira continues to plummet and the country continues to
service hefty and pricey loans, the economic crisis is looking to worsen before
things get better. This depressing state of the nation is the driving force
behind the youths in Nigeria seeking out drugs as an escape and hence the
popularity of laughing gas as a source of joy in life.
However, all is not lost in the
fight against drug abuse, as Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
(NDLEA) says they have made significant strides in 2023 to curb the use of
laughing gas. The NGO has launched campaigns in schools to help raise awareness
of N20 abuse --- students consider using the drug cool with some appearing in
live videos inhaling it. NDLEA’s director of media also claims that the agency
is using social media to reach even more youth on effects of laughing gas.
Apart from raising awareness of
the dangers of abusing laughing gas, they have intercepted containers from
China bringing in over 8,000 canisters and 64,000kg of nitrous oxide into the
country.
The agency is confident in its
efforts to dissuade more youths from turning to drug abuse and reduce the
statistics from the current over a third of Nigerian youths involved in drug
abuse.
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