Nigeria has unveiled new measures to address the growing issue of youth substance abuse, including mandatory drug integrity testing for university students and a revision of the secondary school curriculum to include updated drug education content.
These initiatives were announced following a strategic meeting between the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retired), and Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, held in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
General Marwa praised the Education Minister for his proactive leadership and stressed the urgent need to protect Nigeria’s youth from the harmful effects of illicit drug use.
He highlighted that drug use is often linked to extremist violence, banditry, and terrorism, arguing that many of these crimes are fueled by substance abuse.
He revealed that with the support of President Bola Tinubu, NDLEA has made significant progress. These include the arrest of over 40,800 arrests of drug offenders, more than 8,600 convictions, seizures of over 5,500 metric tons of illicit substances and the confiscation of over one billion opioid pills, including tramadol, worth more than ₦1 trillion (approximately USD 650 million).
Additionally, President Tinubu has authorized the construction of seven new rehabilitation centers across Nigeria, one in each geopolitical zone, to complement the 30 already in existence.
In response, Education Minister Alausa acknowledged the severe impact of drugs on education and society. To support these reforms, the Minister announced the formation of an inter-ministerial technical working group to coordinate efforts between the Ministry of Education and NDLEA. He also approved the creation of a new Substance Use Prevention Unit within the Ministry to lead policy development and implementation.
