The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Federal Ministry of Education have joined forces to introduce compulsory drug integrity tests for students in tertiary institutions and to overhaul the secondary school curriculum to include comprehensive drug education.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the new measures as part of efforts to tackle the rising tide of drug abuse in Nigeria’s educational institutions. He revealed that the mandatory drug tests would apply to both new and returning students, with additional provisions for random testing.

This development follows a proposal by NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd), who outlined a three-pronged strategy to address the drug crisis: revising drug education within school curricula, introducing standalone prevention programs in secondary schools, and enforcing drug testing policies at the tertiary level.

Marwa, during a courtesy visit to the Ministry, warned that drug abuse had become a grave threat to national security and youth development. He linked the surge in substance abuse to rising incidents of terrorism, banditry, and other forms of criminality. He emphasized that the agency had arrested over 40,000 drug offenders and seized more than 5,500 metric tonnes of illicit substances in the last two years.

“Our mission is clear—we are fighting for the souls of our children. Without drugs, many crimes would not happen. Schools must become central to this fight,” Marwa said, calling for greater collaboration between the agency and the education ministry.

In his response, Dr. Alausa praised Marwa’s relentless commitment to national service, noting that his concerns were in perfect alignment with the ministry’s current reform agenda. “Since I met him 30 years ago, his passion has never waned. His clarity of purpose is evident, and I was already noting down his recommendations even before he finished speaking,” Alausa remarked.

The minister described the drug epidemic as a national emergency that demands decisive and sustained action, reaffirming the ministry’s readiness to partner with the NDLEA to safeguard the future of Nigerian youths through policy and curriculum reforms.