Breaking: JAMB Candidates To Undergo Drug Tests Henceforth

If you are a parent or guardian preparing your wards for admission to higher institutions, then ready them for drug tests.

This concerns candidates siting for exams like the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam which prepares Nigerian students for admission into the Universities’ and polytechnics.

They will now be subjected to drug tests as a requirement before they can pursue the courses of their dreams, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has declared.

Its newly reappointed Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) gave the indication in Abuja yesterday, during a warm reception by excited members of staff.

Marwa, who was commending them for a job well done thus far, also issued fire and brimstone warning to drug barons, stating, that if he pursued them with whips the first tenure, they should prepare for scorpions this time

Assuring that the agency would remain committed to its drug demand reduction efforts, he said this would mean rededication of efforts towards prevention, sensitisation, counseling, treatment, and rehabilitation of young people at NDLEA’s 30 rehabilitation centres.

He also made reference to the setting up of rehabilitation centres for those involved in drugs and the issue stating:

“And as well, there will be zonal rehab, more rehab centres and we are getting full collaboration from the Honorable Minister of Health”.

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“We appreciate his efforts also, and the Honorable Minister of Education, who has accepted our recommendation for drug tests for our children on admission to tertiary institutions, so that with this we can catch them young before it gets into addiction stage”

According to him, the whole essence is to net addiction in the bud and save society its consequences.

The Eagle reports increasing concern over the growing trend of drug abuse in secondary schools with studies linking the practice to, among other others, parental neglect, fall in morality, peer pressure and undue economic pressures

For example, a recent study focusing on selected universities from the southeast, and published in the National Library of Medicine, identifies alcohol as the most commonly abused substance by 61.5% of respondents whereas 54.5% stated that cigarettes were the most commonly used drug.

This was followed by tramadol (35.0%), cough syrup (33.0%), shisha (30.5%) and cannabis (25.5%) against the backdrop of assertion by the NDLEA that over 10million Nigerians indulge in cannabis use.

There have also been reports of violent and other troubling behaviours of secondary school students from time to time, much of which experts have linked to drug influence.