Abstract:
This study examines the reasons behind the continued rise in substance abuse
among students in Nigerian Universities, with focus on Nasarawa State University.
Keffi and Kaduna State University. Kaduna.University students seems more
susceptible to substance use amongst different youth groups in Nigeria because
most of them live outside the watch of their parents or guardians. Hence, the
motivation for an empirical study on the prevalence of substance abuse amongst
students. The study adds to the existing empirical literature on factors influencing
the prevalence of substance abuse among students.The specific objectives are to:
ascertain if the class status of students influence their involvement in substance
abuse, establishthe relationship between age and substance abuse amongst
others. Personally administered questionnaires were used to collect the primary
data for the study. A total of39Oquestionnairs, at 5% level of error. Findings
revealed thatage can influence substance abuse as data indicates a significant
influence of substance abuse amongst the youthful age. The differential
association theory was adopted to help us understand if the problem of substance
abuse is a learned issue in the social environ. It was concluded that, the quest for
substance abuse is embedded in the social learning process. Amongst the
recommendation was that there is a need for government to intensify its
campaigns on the dangers that comes with substance abuse in our tertiary
institutions.
