Mr Abbas made this known while declaring open a public hearing organised by the House Ad-Hoc Committee on Drug Trafficking and Abuse in Abuja.
He said the hearing marked a decisive step by the National Assembly to confront one of the most pressing national emergencies, particularly its devastating impact on young people and communities across the country.
“Nigeria is facing a dangerous and rapidly escalating crisis, one that cuts across every family, community and geopolitical zone. Drug trafficking and substance abuse are destroying young lives, weakening national productivity and undermining social stability. Counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals are claiming innocent victims, while harmful and unregistered alcoholic beverages are flooding our markets,” he said.
He said there was a rising addiction to cocaine-based cough syrups across Nigeria.
The Speaker noted that systemic failures in regulation had allowed illicit drugs to flood the country.
Represented at the event by Mr Paul Kalejaye, Mr Abbas called on stakeholders at the public hearing to collaborate closely with the Ad-Hoc Committee.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Drug Trafficking and Alcohol Abuse, Mr Oluwatimehin Adelegbe, said the committee was responding to a national emergency that threatened the soul of Nigeria.
“Substance abuse, illicit drug trafficking, unregulated pharmaceutical distribution, predatory alcohol marketing, and aggressive tobacco promotion have converged into a dangerous crisis. This crisis is stealing the health of our youth, weakening our labour force, destabilising our communities, and undermining our collective future,” he stated.
Mr Adelegbe said the national reality could no longer be ignored, noting that cannabis was now smoked freely on the streets like cigarettes in many parts of the country.
“Our mission is clear: to investigate, to protect, to reform, and ultimately, to save lives,” he said.
The chairman also said cheap and hazardous alcoholic mixtures were destroying young men and women in motor parks, campuses, and marketplaces.
“Tobacco companies continue to exploit loopholes to target minors through flavours, informal retail channels, and deceptive marketing,” he said.
“Substandard pharmaceuticals, fake spirits, and unregistered products flood our markets unchecked. Our ports, airports, and borders remain vulnerable to trafficking syndicates who exploit weak enforcement systems. Entire communities have been crippled by addiction, crime, and preventable deaths,” he added.
“Nigeria is losing too many lives, too many futures, too many families,” he said.
“As lawmakers, we must rise to the responsibility placed upon us. The Nigerian people expect answers, solutions, and firm action, not excuses,” Mr Adelegbe said.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Muhammed Ali Pate, commended the House of Representatives for the initiative.
He also decried the alarming rate of drug use among young people in Nigeria.
Stakeholders at the public hearing made suggestions on strategies to curb drug abuse nationwide.
PIAK