Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), has justified the agency’s proposal for mandatory drug integrity tests for prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), describing it as a preventive measure, not a punitive one.
Marwa said the initiative is aimed at discouraging substance abuse among youths and ensuring early intervention before addiction takes hold. “The drug scourge has continued to devastate our kids, families, and communities,” he stated. “There’s nowhere you go in the country that doesn’t have a drug abuse problem. One in seven Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 uses drugs.”
The NDLEA boss made the remarks during a courtesy visit by the NYSC Director General, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, and senior NYSC officials to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja. The visit comes in the wake of public backlash on social media over the NDLEA’s earlier call for mandatory drug testing for corps members.
In a statement released on Wednesday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Marwa stressed the importance of collaboration between the NDLEA and NYSC in tackling the country’s growing drug challenge, particularly among youths.
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“You’ve mentioned our efforts to cut off access and availability of these drugs, but beyond that, we must work with stakeholders, including NYSC, to drastically reduce demand among youths,” he said. “One of our strategies is the drug integrity test, which we’re advocating for NYSC to adopt for corps members.”
He explained that the agency’s focus is not limited to cutting supply but also includes reducing demand through preventive education, counselling, and rehabilitation.
Marwa noted that the recent establishment of War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) clubs in NYSC orientation camps is a welcome development and a step in the right direction.
“Another important area of collaboration is the introduction of drug integrity tests for corps members. It’s a key drug demand reduction strategy,” he added. “Just as we have proposed that intending couples should obtain drug-free certificates, early detection is crucial before addiction progresses to psychiatric issues, which could pose risks to both users and society.”
To strengthen this effort, Marwa proposed that corps members with academic backgrounds in Guidance and Counselling, Psychology, Nursing, and Psychiatry should be deployed to NDLEA Counselling and Treatment Centres across the country for their primary assignments.
According to him, this will expose them to the realities of drug rehabilitation and help build capacity in psychosocial services.
In his response, Brig. Gen. Nafiu described the drug integrity test initiative as a “fantastic idea” and assured that the NYSC would carefully study the proposal for possible adoption.
He further revealed that plans are underway to develop general guidelines that will facilitate the posting of qualified corps members to NDLEA Commands with functional Counselling and Treatment Centres.
While commending Marwa for the agency’s progress under his leadership, Nafiu expressed the NYSC’s readiness to strengthen its existing partnership with the NDLEA.
