The federal government has announced that students in higher institutions in the country would be subjected to regular drug tests.
The step is aimed at stemming the tide of prevalent drug use among students and alleviate crimes linked to the menace.
A statement by the spokesman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Femi Babafemi announced this measure.
The report says the decision was reached at a meeting on Wednesday in Abuja attended by the agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig Gen Buba Marwa (retd), and the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, among other attendees.
Attributing statements to Marwa and Alausa at the meeting, Babafemi said both lamented the high use of recreational drugs among students, and decided on the introduction of compulsory and random drug integrity tests for students in tertiary institutions across the country.
“We are fighting for the souls of our children. Without drugs, many criminal activities would not be possible,” the NDLEA spokesman quoted Marwa as saying.
“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.
“At the end of the day, what happens? Their level of critical thinking is lower.
“Their ability to make informed decisions in the later part of their life becomes significantly reduced. So, they become unemployable.
“And what happens? You now have that vicious cycle. They’re not functional.”
“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,” the minister reportedly said.
