NDLEA Proposes Mandatory Drug Tests for NYSC Members — Corps Members React!

All potential National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members should be required to submit to a drug test, according to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

According to retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), the NDLEA Chairman, the organization is combating drug misuse by encouraging drug testing among families, communities, and colleges.

He gave a speech on Saturday at a “Training the Trainer” event held in Abuja by NDLEA in collaboration with Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM).

The program seeks to give community influencers and church leaders the resources they need to help families dealing with addiction, educate young people, and discourage drug use.

Drug tests at NYSC camps will help discourage substance usage, according to Marwa, who was accompanied by Mrs. Ngozi Madubuike, NDLEA’s Director of Drug Demand Reduction.

He clarified that if someone tested positive for drugs during orientation, the testing would also allow for prompt support and intervention.

The initiative is a component of the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, which aims to decrease drug demand and strengthen juvenile support systems.

Some state governments and institutions have already embraced the idea, and it is progressively becoming more widely accepted.

The NDLEA provides schools with reasonably priced test kits and deploys police with the necessary training to conduct drug tests.

Despite some resistance, the FDA is promoting drug test standards in other fields, such as public service.

“Youth will stay away from camps if they are aware that they involve drug tests. Early assistance for people in need is the aim, Marwa stated.

He emphasized that the nation’s escalating drug usage trend requires immediate, coordinated action.

NDLEA targets demand through education and rehabilitation programs in addition to its concentration on arrests, seizures, and prosecutions.
According to Marwa, broader social, economic, and environmental issues outside the agency’s control are the main causes of drug misuse.

He emphasized how crucial it is for communities, educators, parents, and religious leaders to collaborate on prevention.

Parents were advised to monitor their children’s classmates and online behavior, have open conversations with them, and instill strong moral principles.

He clarified that the rising problem of substance misuse among Nigerian adolescents can only be stopped by a concerted national effort.

“To combat drug abuse among the youth population, NDLEA views collaboration with NYSC and educational institutions as crucial,” he stated.

The project was hailed as important and opportune by Juliet Michael, a children’s education specialist and secretary of the National Cancer Society.

According to Michael, the initiative helps families during a period when morals are fast eroding in many households.

In the past, a parent’s glance was sufficient, she thought. Many parents today find it difficult to establish a connection with their kids.

She attributed the decline in discipline and moral principles among young people to peer pressure and inadequate role modeling.

Michael encouraged parents to set a positive example, accept their kids’ peers, and establish settings that reward good behavior.

Workshops like this one, she continued, assist in reversing negative social trends and fostering healthy values in families.

She emphasized that as the family continues to be the cornerstone of national transformation, parents must uphold the values they anticipate.

Iyenoma Osazee, another participant, claimed that the training equips persons to identify drug use in its early stages and direct impacted individuals into treatment.