Thursday- 29th July, 2021: The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has advised higher institutions to establish rehabilitation centres for students who test positive to hard drugs.
This was stated by Mr. Femi Babafemi, the Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, on Wednesday in Lagos.
According to Mr Babafemi, this is part of the agency’s efforts to eradicate illicit drugs use in higher institutions.
He said both new and returning students who test positive to hard drugs would be taken to the rehabilitation centres shichwould be attached to the schools’ hospitals for treatment and rehabilitation.
Babafemi echoed that rehabilitation centres were necessary to guide against attempts by school authorities to expel students who tested positive to hard drugs from the school system.
“Rather than throwing students who tested positive to illicit drugs out of school system, an action that may compound their woes; rehabilitation centres must be set up.
“This way, such students or new ones could be reintegrated into the school system and still be useful persons in life, not only to themselves, their families and communities but the country as a whole,’’ he said.
According to him, some higher institutions have started working on infrastructure and other plans to achieve this aim,
“A number of the institutions have started the process.
Babafemi said that the planned drug test, although is not included in the national law, was just to make higher institutions and other stakeholders key-in into and take ownership of it for the benefit of all.
“So, every institution has a responsibility to put mechanisms in place for the drug test, whether independently or in partnership with the NDLEA,’’ he said.
(NAN)
