As part of its intensified efforts to combat substance abuse among young people, the Federal Government has backed the introduction of mandatory and random drug integrity tests for students in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made this known on Wednesday during a meeting in Abuja with the Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd).
In a statement issued by NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the minister expressed strong support for the proposal to test both fresh and returning students in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
The move is part of a broader three-pronged strategy developed by the NDLEA to address drug abuse among youths.
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Dr. Alausa also approved the review of the national secondary school curriculum to incorporate comprehensive drug education and announced the formation of a Substance Use Prevention Unit within the Ministry of Education.
He further pledged to create an inter-ministerial technical working group with the NDLEA to implement coordinated anti-drug programs at all levels of the education system.
Highlighting the negative impact of drug abuse on students’ academic and personal development, Alausa noted that substance use erodes critical thinking skills and reduces employability, contributing to a cycle of dysfunction among the youth.
“When the youths get into drugs, they won’t go to school, and even when they go to school, they are not getting a functional education,” he said. “At the end of the day, their ability to make informed decisions in life becomes significantly reduced.”
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Earlier, NDLEA boss Marwa described the drug scourge as a serious threat to national security and youth development, linking it to terrorism, banditry, and other criminal activities. He disclosed that the agency had arrested over 40,000 drug offenders and seized more than 5,500 metric tons of illicit substances in the past two years.
To address the crisis, the NDLEA proposed three measures: revising drug education content in school curricula, establishing standalone drug abuse prevention programs in secondary schools, and implementing a drug testing policy for tertiary students.
Dr. Alausa confirmed that the ministry is already reviewing the curriculum for secondary schools and plans to extend anti-drug education to primary schools.
He also committed to working with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to support the NDLEA Academy in Jos, Plateau State.
