Registered with nursing council of Nigeria since 1991 as a Midwife and as a Nurse in 1993 then progressed to becoming a registered Psychiatric Nurse in 2005.
She Attended the University of Ilorin, Nigeria and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Education in 2013, she also attended Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Nigeria and was awarded a Master in Public Health (MPH). She was later awarded Bachelor of Nursing Science at Kaaf University College of Nursing and Midwifery, Buduburam Kasoa, Ghana in 2021.
She has being working with the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital for the past 24years. She has worked in different departments as a qualified Nurse/ Midwife before she was finally posted to the Psychiatric Department in 2006. Amongst other roles she has assumed in the past years include leadership positions at the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in Nigeria, and presently at University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Kwara State, Nigeria. As a Chief Nursing Officer at the UITH’s drug Addiction Treatment, Education, and Research (DATER) Unit, her ultimate goal is to promote quality in the care of substance abuse persons.
Additionally, she is president of IntNSA-Nigeria. She wholeheartedly embraced the fruition of IntNSA-Nigeria, when the nation’s rate of drug addictions is skyrocketing. She is so passionate in the prevention and management of substance addiction in Nigeria.
Abstract
Burden of Substance Use Disorders in Nigeria: Developing Strategies for Best Practices
Substance abuse is becoming a public health concern globally. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 35 million people suffer from drug use across the globe (2019). In Nigeria, however, the rate of drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) among individuals aged 15 to 64 years rose from 5.6% in 2006 to 14.4% in 2016. This rate is higher than the global rates and the rates of harmful substance use are growing across the lifespan, including among antenatal patients, adolescents, young adults, and the elderly.
Equally challenging is the shortage in healthcare providers that poses a higher demand on the nursing workforce in addictions treatment, which has already been perpetuated with stigma that can limit the policy makers’ willingness to allocate resources. Failure to act in a reasonable and prudent manner can pose a detrimental effect in Nigeria, a country with current financial, societal, and political derangements.
Nurses are a critical part of healthcare and make up the largest section of the health professions. They have the knowledge and skills to recognize health priorities across the continuum of care. Thus, they can positively influence substance use prevention, treatment, and management, if accorded adequate resources for delivery of high quality, patient-centered care. Extensive support from every stakeholder is necessary for implementing evidence-based care in addictions nursing practice.