Chairman/Chief Government Officer of the NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), says the proposed drug integrity checks for corps members, potential {couples}, and different youth {groups} aren’t punitive.
He defined that the initiative goals to curb substance abuse and allow early intervention.
He made this identified throughout a courtesy go to by the Director-Basic of the Nationwide Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig Gen Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja.
Marwa emphasised that drug testing is to not punish people however to establish customers early and supply assist earlier than the state of affairs worsens.
“The push for drug integrity checks for youth corps members, potential {couples}, and others will not be punitive however to discourage substance abuse and supply early therapy for individuals who check constructive earlier than their situation degenerates to drug dependence and different well being challenges.
“As I mentioned, whereas we do the drug provide discount, we additionally do drug demand discount by way of preventive measures, in addition to counseling and rehabilitation. Now, these are vital areas for additional collaboration.
“You might have launched within the camps, the battle towards drug abuse golf equipment, which is unbelievable. One different vital space of collaboration is the query of drug integrity checks for youth corps members. It’s a serious drug demand discount effort.
“The identical manner we mentioned, in case you are getting married, each the bride and the groom ought to deliver a drug-free certificates. It is because it’s all the time higher to detect drug use early earlier than it will get to habit, which ultimately may get to psychiatric issues, and it turns into a hazard to the person and society,” the assertion learn
Marwa defined that the drug integrity check initiative is a part of a broader technique to scale back demand for medication amongst Nigerian youths, warning that substance abuse continues to threaten households and communities throughout the nation.
“The drug scourge has continued to devastate our children, households, and communities in all places. There’s nowhere you go within the nation that you just don’t have a drug abuse drawback. One in seven Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 use medication,” Marwa mentioned.
“You might have talked about our efforts to chop off entry and availability of those medication however past that we’ve got to work with all stakeholders together with NYSC to make sure drastic discount within the demand for medication by our youths and one among our methods to handle that is by way of our drug integrity check, which we’re advocating that NYSC ought to embrace for corps members.”
Marwa additionally proposed that corps members with related educational backgrounds be deployed to NDLEA services for sensible service expertise.
He mentioned the company was open to accepting a “sizeable quantity” of corps members who studied Steering and Counselling, Psychology, Nursing, and Psychiatry to its Counselling and Therapy Centres throughout Nigeria.
“It will allow the corps members to accumulate information and expertise in rehabilitation and psychosocial providers,” he famous.
Responding to the proposals, NYSC DG Brig Gen Nafiu described the drug testing initiative as “a unbelievable thought” and pledged to evaluate the small print for potential adoption.
“The scheme will develop a basic guideline to put up as many corps members with required {qualifications} to NDLEA Instructions with Counselling and Therapy Centres throughout the nation,” he mentioned.
He recommended the NDLEA’s current achievements underneath Marwa’s management and reiterated NYSC’s dedication to working intently with the company.
