This platform was built on real academic research at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, not assumptions. Every statistic, every drug profile, and every assessment question is evidence-grounded.
Nigeria's 2018 National Drug Use Survey, NBS, NDLEA, UNODC & EU
14.3M
Nigerians aged 15 to 64, 14.4% of that population, had used a drug in the past year. Most never received accurate information about it, not from school, not from family, not from healthcare. That gap is why ALTDAP exists.
NDLEA says 40% of Nigerian youth are deeply involved in drug abuse, and its chairman, Buba Marwa, has linked drug abuse to 90% of crime in Nigeria. The scale of that problem is why ALTDAP is built as infrastructure schools, workplaces, and communities can embed, not a one-off campaign, and why the same model is already expanding into exam prep, financial literacy, workplace and road safety, and campus life, with mental health, digital safety, and civic education next.
What Was Studied
Baseline and post-intervention drug abuse awareness levels among undergraduate and postgraduate students at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), with particular focus on Southeast Nigeria-specific substances: tramadol abuse, crystal methamphetamine (Mkpuru Mmiri), codeine misuse, and cannabis.
Methodology
Validated pre/post-test survey design administered to 200+ students. Pre-test established baseline awareness. Students then engaged with ALTDAP's educational content, drug profiles, Awareness Challenge, and self-assessment. Post-test measured knowledge gain. Validated using adapted versions of CRAFFT and ASSIST clinical screening tools contextualised for Nigerian youth aged 16 to 30.
Key Finding
Structured, evidence-based digital drug abuse awareness education produced a 31-point average improvement in student awareness scores, from 42% to 73%, demonstrating that accessible, contextualised information directly increases protective knowledge in the target population. The research supports WHO evidence that awareness education reduces drug initiation rates by up to 40%.
73%
Average post-test awareness score
Up from 42% pre-test
31 pts
Average score improvement
After using ALTDAP platform
200+
Students assessed
In the FUTO research study
2024 to 2025
Research period
Federal University of Technology, Owerri
Suggested Citation Format
[Author Surname, Initial.] (2026). ALTDAP: Development and evaluation of a digital drug abuse awareness platform for Nigerian tertiary students. MSc Dissertation, Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Imo State, Nigeria.
For the full research paper, contact the FUTO Department of Information Technology or email hello@altdap.com.
All statistics and drug information on this platform are sourced from the following peer-reviewed and institutional authorities:
NDLEA, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
Annual drug seizure reports, arrest statistics, treatment referral data, and Imo State Command intelligence reports (2019 to 2023).
WHO, World Health Organisation
Global substance abuse research, clinical screening tool guidelines (ASSIST, CRAFFT), and health impact data referenced throughout the platform.
UNODC, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Nigeria Drug Report 2022 to 2023: prevalence data, trafficking routes, and youth vulnerability indicators for Southeast Nigeria.
NAFDAC, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
Codeine ban documentation (2018), Super Tramadol classification, and pharmaceutical regulatory data.
BBC Africa Eye
"Sweet Sweet Codeine" (2018), investigative documentary that documented 3 million bottles of codeine syrup consumed daily in Nigeria, leading directly to the NAFDAC ban.
Take the same pre/post-test used in the FUTO research study.
ALTDAP is a MSc Final Year Research Project · Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) · Department of Information Technology · 2024/2025
