The Nigerian government supports a compulsory drug test for students in tertiary institutions

The federal government has approved the introduction of compulsory and random drug integrity tests for students in tertiary institutions throughout the country, as part of new efforts to curb substances among young Nigeria.

This decision was announced after a high -level meeting between the Minister of Education, Dr. Supi Alausa, and Chair/Chief Executive of the National Narcotics Law Enforcement Agency (Ndlea), Brigadier General Buba Marwa (RETD), which was held in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to a statement issued by Ndlea Femi Babafemi spokesman, the meeting resulted in the adoption of a comprehensive strategy that targeted drug use in educational institutions. The Minister is also committed to revising the current middle school curriculum to combine strong drug education, in addition to the establishment of a special drug use prevention unit in the Ministry of Education.

Marwa, who presented the three branch proposals during the meeting, called for:

1. Revision of drug education content in all levels of education.
2. Introduction to the Drug Prevention Program that stands alone in secondary schools.
3. Implementation of a compulsory drug testing policy for students in tertiary institutions including new and return students, as well as random sampling.

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Highlighting the urgency of this problem, Marwa described the abuse of substances as a big threat to national security and youth development, noting its relationship with criminal activities such as terrorism and bandits.

“We struggle for the souls of our children. Without drugs, many criminal activities will not be possible,” he said. He further revealed that the agency had captured more than 40,000 drug violators and confiscated more than 5,500 metric tons of illegal substances in the last two years.

Responding to, Dr. Alausa expressed full support for the proposed steps, emphasizing the impact of drug abuse on academic performance and long-term work skills.

“When young people enter drugs, they will not go to school, and even when they do it, they do not get functional education. Their level of critical thinking is revealed, and they cannot be done,” the Minister said.

He confirmed that drug testing will be launched in all tertiary institutions, starting with students who enter and return. “We will do it. We have to do it. We have no choice,” Alausa stressed.

To ensure an effective implementation, the Minister proposed the formation of inter-statement technical working groups between the Ministry of Education and Ndlea. He also revealed that the middle school curriculum is currently undergoing a review, with plans to prioritize drug education to the elementary level.

To support efforts to develop Ndlea institutional capacity, Alausa promised to collaborate with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and Tertiary Education Fund (Tetfund) to strengthen the Ndlea Academy in JOS, Plateau state.

This partnership marks a significant change in the government’s approach to overcoming drug abuse, placing schools at the forefront of intervention and initial prevention strategies.