NDLEA Boss Marwa Seeks Drug Test for Youth Corps Members

Chairman/Chief Executive of Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) has asked for drug tests on youth corps members before they are allowed into the orientation camps for the mandatory one year national service.

Marwa who had in the past made similar demands on political aspirants and intending married couples, made the latest demand on Wednesday when he hosted the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig. Gen. Mohammed Fadah, who led his management team on a courtesy visit to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja.

The NDLEA chief while hosting the NYSC DG, painted a picture of Nigeria’s drug problem with facts and figures from the 2018 national drug survey and called for collective efforts to change the narrative.

He said: “There is the need for drug test for our youth corps members as they report at the orientation camps. Once they know there’ll be drug test 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 added that: “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.”

Speaking earlier, Brig. Gen. Fadah said he came calling to appreciate NDLEA for past support to the scheme and also ask for further collaboration as NYSC prepares to open the gates of orientation camps across the country.

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

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