Northern Youth Council pushes NDLEA to adopt stricter nationwide drug screening to curb addiction
Story: written by Myra November 6,2025
The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has declared that Nigeria must go beyond meetings and conversations if it truly wants to defeat the growing wave of drug abuse. According to the group, only bold, strategic national action can break the influence of hard drugs in society.
The Council made its position known in a letter addressed to the Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), where it proposed a nationwide system of Mandatory Drug Testing across critical stages of life. The NYCN emphasized that the plan is not designed to punish citizens, but to identify those who need help and protect the country’s future.
The letter, endorsed by the NYCN National President, Isah Abubakar, warned that drug addiction is threatening Nigeria’s social foundation and can no longer be tackled with isolated or individual efforts. He noted that families, communities, and patriotic citizens need a strong nationwide system backing them.
Abubakar revealed that the Council has developed a 10-point protective framework and wants the NDLEA to champion it. Among the proposals is drug testing for students before sitting for Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (SSCE) and before gaining admission into any tertiary institution.
The Council further recommended that no graduate should receive a degree or NYSC discharge certificate without passing a drug test. It also pushed for drug screening for job applicants in both public and private sectors, as well as periodic testing for employees already in service.
On political leadership, the youth group insisted that no political party should sell nomination or expression of interest forms to any aspirant without a clean drug test result, with follow-up tests every three months for leaders and appointees. According to the NYCN, those in leadership must lead by example.
The letter also urged NDLEA to collaborate with celebrities, musicians, and cultural influencers to end the public glamorization of drug use and ensure young people receive better messages and role models.
NYCN added that the proposals should eventually be included in national law so that the system becomes permanent, enforceable, and capable of protecting the next generation.
“We believe NDLEA must apply the same determination used in arresting drug barons to also provide rehabilitation pathways for victims,” Abubakar said, adding that the country’s future is worth defending.
The youth council called on NDLEA to convert the 10-point proposal into national policy, warning that Nigeria must “clean house, institution by institution,” if it hopes to build a drug-free nation.
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