The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has called for decisive action beyond mere dialogue to effectively combat the growing menace of drug addiction across the country.
In a letter to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the group proposed mandatory drug screening at every critical gateway of Nigerian life.
The letter signed by the National President of NYCN, Isah Abubakar, noted that the drug crisis threatens to unravel the nation’s national fabric, believing that individual effort is not enough.
Abubaker explained that there is an urgent need for a comprehensive, systematic defense that backs up every good parent and citizen in Nigeria.
While stressing that their goal is to establish a national system that flags individuals who desperately need help, the NYCN national president stated that the council proposed a 10-point plan to safeguard the nation’s institutions.
It advised the NDLEA to champion it by testing students before they write the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) and before they receive a letter of admission to any tertiary institution in the country.
It also enjoined NDLEA to test graduates before they collect their university degree certificates and before they enter or receive their discharge certificate from the NYSC orientation camps.
The NYCN suggested that candidates should be tested before any job appointment in the public or private sector and that routine, periodic testing should be enforced for all employed individuals.
The group further emphasized that no political party should issue expression or nomination forms to any citizen, including political appointees, without first obtaining a mandatory negative drug test result, followed by a routine re-evaluation every three months.
