The Federal Government has endorsed the introduction of compulsory and random drug integrity tests for students in tertiary institutions as part of efforts to curb substance abuse in Nigerian schools.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, made this known on Wednesday during a meeting with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen Buba Marwa (retd), in Abuja.
According to a statement by NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the minister also approved a review of the secondary school curriculum to incorporate updated drug education and announced the creation of an inter-ministerial working group with the NDLEA.
During the meeting, Marwa outlined a three-pronged approach to tackling drug abuse: revising school drug education content, introducing stand-alone drug prevention programmes in secondary schools, and implementing drug testing policies in tertiary institutions for both new and returning students, including random checks.
He described substance abuse as a major threat to national security and youth development, linking it to crimes such as terrorism and banditry.
“We are fighting for the souls of our children. Without drugs, many criminal activities would not be possible,” Marwa said, revealing that over 40,000 drug offenders had been arrested and more than 5,500 metric tonnes of drugs seized in the last two years.
Acknowledging the growing problem, Alausa stressed the need for urgent intervention.
He said, “When the youths get into drugs, they won’t go to school, and even when they go, they are not getting a functional education. Their critical thinking becomes impaired, their ability to make informed decisions is reduced, and they become unemployable. That creates a vicious cycle. They’re not functional.”
On drug tests in universities, the minister declared, “You also said something very important about the drug test policy in tertiary institutions. We will do it. We have to do it. We do not have a choice. At least, we’ll start with tertiary institutions, for their fresh and returning students as well as random testing.”
Alausa announced the creation of a Substance Use Prevention Unit within the Ministry of Education and confirmed that a revised curriculum for secondary schools was underway.
“I would suggest we form a technical working group between our ministry and the NDLEA. We’re reviewing the curriculum now for secondary schools, and we’ll cascade it down to primary schools. For secondary schools, we can do it immediately,” he said.
The minister also endorsed the rollout of ongoing school programmes on drug prevention and pledged to collaborate with the Universal Basic Education Commission and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund to support the NDLEA Academy in Jos, Plateau State.
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