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Tertiary institution students in Nigeria will soon face compulsory and random drug tests as part of efforts to tackle the rising problem of substance abuse, according to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
This development follows a meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday between the minister and the Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd). During the meeting, both officials explored joint strategies aimed at protecting students from drug addiction and its associated dangers.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the minister gave his approval for a comprehensive review of the secondary school curriculum to include updated drug education. He also confirmed the establishment of a joint technical taskforce between the education ministry and the NDLEA to coordinate national drug prevention efforts in the education sector.
General Marwa had proposed a three-part initiative: updating drug education materials in schools, launching dedicated drug abuse prevention programmes for secondary schools, and enforcing drug testing in tertiary institutions. This testing would apply to both new and returning students and would also include random screening.
Marwa warned that drug abuse poses a serious threat to national security and youth development, linking it to crimes such as terrorism and kidnapping. He revealed that the NDLEA had arrested over 40,000 drug offenders and seized more than 5,500 metric tonnes of narcotics within two years.
Minister Alausa expressed deep concern about the implications of substance abuse on young people’s academic and life outcomes. He argued that drug use undermines students’ education and future employability by impairing their decision-making and critical thinking skills, perpetuating a cycle of dysfunction and joblessness.
He confirmed the government’s commitment to implementing drug tests in universities and other higher institutions, saying: “We will do it. We have to. There’s no choice.”
Alausa also revealed that a new Substance Use Prevention Unit will be created within the ministry, and said the ministry was already reviewing the secondary school curriculum to incorporate drug education. He added that plans were underway to extend these efforts to the primary level as well.
The minister pledged collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to strengthen the NDLEA’s training facilities, particularly the agency’s academy in Jos, Plateau State.
