Marwa to NYSC: Make drug test compulsory for corps members

Mohamed Buba Marwa, chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says drug tests should be made compulsory for corps members across the country. 

Marwa spoke when he hosted Mohammed Fadah, the new director-general of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and his team at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to him, making drug tests compulsory at the various NYSC orientation camps in the country would help boost ongoing efforts to tackle the menace of drug abuse.

“There is the need for drug tests for our youth corps members as they report at the orientation camps. Once they know there’ll be drug tests at the camps, they will abstain from it. The whole essence is to ensure help gets to those who test positive early. This is part of our War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, initiative,” he said.

“Nigeria has a drug issue. We’re determined to ensure this is changed but we can’t do it alone, we need organisations like NYSC to reduce and control demand for drugs. Nigeria has insufficient rehabilitation and counselling centres.

“We need counselling centres in the primary health care centres at the grassroots, where we don’t have enough manpower to cover and this is where the young men and women of NYSC come in.

“We can train them in their numbers to serve as counsellors at the grassroots level because majority of drug users only need counselling.”

In his remark, the NYSC DG said the visit was to appreciate the NDLEA for past support to the scheme.

He added that the visit is also to seek further collaboration with the agency as the scheme prepares to open orientation camps across the country.