The Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Prof. Bilkis Lafiaji-Okuneye, has announced that all 4,500 prospective students for the 2024/25 academic session will undergo a drug test before gaining admission into the institution.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Lafiaji-Okuneye explained that the decision followed a recent incident involving a drug-addicted student that caused panic on campus.
The school has since partnered with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to ensure reliable test results for its admission screening process.
The Vice-Chancellor stressed that no matter how sterling a student’s University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) results were, it would not confer the student an express admission until he or she was certified drug-free.
Lafiaji-Okuneye stressed that LASUED, as a teacher-training institution, has a responsibility to instil discipline and high moral standards in its students.
“We are a teacher grooming institution, therefore we aim to instil in our would-be teachers the morals and discipline worthy of a teacher.
“This will enable them impact the same on pupils and students alike after their career training here.
“These are going to be the nation’s teachers tomorrow, so the institution is taking extra measures to make the best out of them, for you cannot give what you don’t have,” she said
The vice-chancellor urged parents to play a stronger role in shaping their children’s moral values, warning that peer pressure on campus can easily lead to drug use.
She advised against rushing children through academic levels or resorting to miracle centres to pass exams. She noted that results obtained from miracle centres remained a fluke, and could not instil in the person the needed academic flair to persevere in tough times in the university.
She noted that the university has recently seen a surge in withdrawals by students who gained admission with unearned certificates and could not cope with academic demands.
Lafiaji-Okuneye commended the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for introducing stronger security measures to curb examination malpractice. She urged the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO) to follow suit.
The Federal Ministry of Education and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have jointly agreed to integrate drug education into the secondary school curriculum and enforce a mandatory drug testing policy for tertiary institutions.
The decision, reached during a meeting between NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd.) and Minister of Education Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa expand prevention efforts to include curriculum reviews, parental involvement, awareness campaigns, and routine campus drug screenings.
Marwa cited NDLEA statistics that, in the past two years, the agency arrested 40,887 offenders, secured 8,682 convictions, and seized 5,507 metric tons of illicit substances, over 1 trillion pills of opiates like tramadol..
He proposed three strategic collaboration points: (1) a comprehensive review of secondary school drug education to reflect evolving psychoactive threats; (2) stand-alone prevention modules in schools involving parents and regular awareness campaigns; and (3) a drug testing policy in tertiary institutions for fresh entrants, returning students, and random screenings to promote campus sobriety without necessarily resorting to disciplinary expulsion.
He proposed three strategic collaboration points: (1) a comprehensive review of secondary school drug education to reflect evolving psychoactive threats; (2) stand-alone prevention modules in schools involving parents and regular awareness campaigns; and (3) a drug testing policy in tertiary institutions for fresh entrants, returning students, and random screenings to promote campus sobriety without necessarily resorting to disciplinary expulsion.
Minister Alausa endorsed Marwa’s proposals, describing drug abuse as a national crisis that harms students’ education, employability, and social integration. He announced the establishment of a Substance Use Prevention Unit and an inter-ministerial working group to implement the reforms.
In 2023, the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) pioneered a similar initiative for incoming students, partnering with NDLEA. Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’allah, disclosed that students who intend to study in the university must undertake and present a drug test before admission.