The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd) has stated that the push for drug integrity test for youth corps members, prospective couples and others is aimed at discouraging substance abuse and provide early treatment.
Marwa said the measure was not punitive as those who test positive before their condition degenerate can receive treatment to drug dependence and other health challenges.
The anti-narcotic agency’s boss stated this during a meeting with the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, who led top officials of the Corps on a courtesy visit to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
Marwa congratulated the NYSC boss on his recent appointment, describing the scheme as a national treasure and a veritable instrument of national unity.
According to the NDLEA boss, “The drug scourge has continued to devastate our kids, families, and communities, everywhere. There’s nowhere you go in the country that you don’t have a drug abuse problem. One in seven Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64, use drugs. You have mentioned our efforts to cut off access and availability of these drugs but beyond that, we have to work with all stakeholders, including NYSC to ensure drastic reduction in the demand for drugs by our youths and one of our strategies to address this is through our drug integrity test, which we’re advocating that NYSC should embrace for corps members.”
He added that drug supply reduction will also the accompanied by drug demand reduction through preventive measures, as well as counseling and rehabilitation.
“These are important areas for further collaboration. You have introduced in the camps, the War Against Drug Abuse clubs, which is fantastic. One other important area of collaboration is
the question of drug integrity tests for youth corps members.
“It’s a major drug demand reduction effort. The same way we said, if you are getting married, both the bride and the groom, should bring a drug free certificate.
“This is because it is always better to detect drug use early before it gets to addiction which eventually could get to psychiatric problems and it becomes a danger to the user and the society,” Marwa noted.
He listed another area of collaboration in posting a sizeable number of corps members who studied Guidance and Counselling, Psychology, Nursing and Psychiatry to NDLEA Counselling and Treatment Centres across the country as their place of primary assignment during their one-year mandatory national service.
The NDLEA boss stressed that this will enable the corps members acquire knowledge and experience in rehabilitation and psychosocial services.
In his response, the NYSC DG described the drug integrity test as a fantastic idea, promising to study the anti-narcotic agency’s proposal for possible collaboration.
Nafiu assured that the scheme will develop a general guideline to post as many corps members with required qualifications to NDLEA Commands’ Counselling and Treatment Centres across the country.
While appreciating Marwa for the giant strides the NDLEA has recorded under his leadership, the NYSC boss noted the existing partnership between the Agency and the scheme, which he said his visit was to seek further means to deepen and strengthen the collaboration.
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