The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has urged heads of tertiary institutions in Kano State to strengthen collaborations with the agency to curb drug abuse and promote students’ wellbeing.

The chairman of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa made the call on Wednesday at a two-day workshop for heads of tertiary institutions in Kano state on the implementation of drug use prevention policy.

Represented by the ACGN Zone 5, Mohamed Ajiya, Mr Marwa said the wellbeing of young people depended on collective efforts in addressing the growing challenge of substance abuse within educational institutions.

He described tertiary institutions as critical platforms for shaping values, aspirations and the future of the nation’s youths.

The NDLEA chairman said that campuses had increasingly become targets for illicit drug circulation and experimentation.

According to him, the trend posed serious threats to academic performance, public safety, health and social order within campuses.

“As leaders and custodians of these learning environments, it is imperative to adopt proactive and evidence-based strategies to maintain drug-free campuses,” he said.

He explained that while NDLEA had intensified enforcement through arrests, seizures and dismantling of drug networks nationwide, enforcement alone could not guarantee sustainable results.

He said that prevention through education, early detection, intervention, behavioural guidance, rehabilitation and institutional collaboration remained key to addressing drug abuse.

The NDLEA boss urged heads of institutions to establish and strengthen drug-free clubs and counselling units.

He further urged them to integrate drug education into orientation and general studies programmes, and enforce institutional drug control policies consistently.

He also encouraged institutions to collaborate with NDLEA state commands for advocacy, training, peer education programmes, voluntary drug testing and staff capacity building.

Mr Marwa advised the institutions to develop early warning and referral systems for students showing signs of emotional distress or risky behaviour.

He emphasised the importance of the NDLEA Drug Integrity Test as an evidence-based initiative aimed at early identification of drug users and provision of timely counselling and rehabilitation.

According to him, the agency had deployed a centralised digital platform, as the official portal for the Drug Integrity Test to ensure transparency, accountability, data security and standardised implementation.

Mr Marwa said that students who test positive should not be treated as criminals but as individuals requiring support and rehabilitation.

He said the adoption of the Drug Integrity Test would strengthen campus security and contribute to national efforts in combating drug abuse among youths.

In his remarks, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Aliyu Mu’azu, described the initiative as timely, considering the increasing involvement of some youths in substance abuse.

Mr Mu’azu said raising responsible youths was essential to building a responsible nation.

He said that extending the initiative to institutions across the country would promote discipline and moral development among students.

He pledged BUK’s commitment to collaborating with NDLEA to sustain and expand the initiative.

The workshop was organised by NDLEA to strengthen institutional partnerships and enhance the implementation of drug use prevention policies across tertiary institutions in Kano State. 

(NAN)