Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), Chairman and CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has defended the agency’s proposal for mandatory drug tests for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, prospective couples, and others, okaynews.com reports.
He emphasized that the initiative is preventive, not punitive, aimed at discouraging drug use and enabling early intervention before addiction develops.
Marwa made these remarks during a courtesy visit by NYSC Director General Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu and his team to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja. He highlighted the alarming statistic that one in seven Nigerians aged 15 to 64 uses drugs, underscoring the urgency of addressing the problem.
“The drug scourge has continued to devastate our kids, families, and communities. There’s nowhere you go in the country that doesn’t have a drug abuse problem,” Marwa said. He stressed that NDLEA’s approach combines supply reduction with demand reduction through education, counseling, and rehabilitation.
Marwa welcomed the introduction of War Against Drug Abuse clubs in NYSC orientation camps and advocated for drug integrity tests as a key strategy to reduce drug demand among youths. He also proposed deploying corps members with backgrounds in counseling, psychology, nursing, and psychiatry to NDLEA treatment centers to enhance rehabilitation efforts.
In response, NYSC DG Nafiu described the drug testing proposal as a “fantastic idea” and promised to explore collaboration with NDLEA, including posting qualified corps members to NDLEA commands nationwide. He praised NDLEA’s achievements and reaffirmed the partnership between the agencies.
