The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, don support compulsory and random drug integrity test for students wey dey tertiary institutions for di country. Dem reach dis decision after meeting wey happen for Abuja on Wednesday with Chairman and Chief Executive of di National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig Gen Buba Marwa (retd), as dem discuss how to stop drug abuse among students.
For one statement wey di agency spokesman, Femi Babafemi release on Wednesday, di minister also gree say make dem review secondary school curriculum make dem add better drug education, and e also promise to form inter-ministerial working group with NDLEA.
Babafemi talk say NDLEA oga propose three ways to take face di issue: to change drug education wey dey for schools, introduce separate drug abuse prevention programme for secondary schools, and create drug testing policy for tertiary institutions wey go cover new students, returning students, and random testing.
Marwa talk say di wahala wey drugs dey cause na big threat to national security and youth development, as e link drugs with bad things like terrorism and banditry. E still talk say di agency don arrest over 40,000 drug offenders and seize more than 5,500 metric tonnes of drugs for inside two years.
“We dey fight for di soul of our children. Without drugs, many bad things no go fit happen,” na wetin e talk.
As response, Alausa talk say di matter serious well well. E talk say, “When youths enter drugs, dem no go gree go school, and even if dem go school, dem no dey collect correct education.
“At di end of di day, wetin go happen? Dem no go sabi think critically.
“Dem no go fit make correct decisions for later part of their life. Na so dem go turn unemployable.
“And wetin go happen next? Na cycle wey no dey help anybody. Dem no dey functional.”
Di minister talk say drug test go dey for fresh and returning students wey dey tertiary institutions. E talk say, “You talk something wey make sense about drug test policy for tertiary institutions. We go do am.
“We gats do am. No be say we get choice. At least, we go start with tertiary institutions, for fresh and returning students plus random testing.”
E also announce say dem go create Substance Use Prevention Unit inside di ministry, and talk say dem don dey revise secondary school curriculum.
Alausa talk say, “I go suggest make we form technical working group, inter-ministerial group between our ministry and NDLEA.
“Because of that, I wan create Substance Use Prevention Unit inside di ministry.
“We dey review di curriculum now for secondary school. Na why I call Director of Senior Secondary School to come, make we find way take push am go primary school level.
“We need include both primary and secondary school curriculum. But secondary school one we fit start now. We don dey work on di new curriculum.
“On top di separate school programmes, I gree with you wella. We suppose design programmes wey go continue for our schools. We fit roll dem out, and push dem down.”
Di minister still promise to work with Universal Basic Education Commission and Tertiary Education Trust Fund to support NDLEA Academy wey dey Jos, Plateau State.
