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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has begun an awareness drive on its new drug integrity test policy across tertiary institutions in Katsina State. Officials say the screening is designed to identify and support students with drug problems, not to punish or expel them.
An NDLEA team visited Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic and Al-Qalam University, Katsina, to explain how the policy will work. The campaign forms part of a wider national rollout agreed between the agency and the Federal Ministry of Education.
What the drug integrity test means
The drug integrity test is a screening exercise meant to ascertain the drug-use status of each student. According to the agency, the goal is not to deny anyone their right to education but to find workable interventions, such as counselling and treatment, for those who need help.
NDLEA officials stressed that students flagged by the test would be offered support rather than immediate sanctions. That framing, they argued, is key to winning the cooperation of young people who might otherwise hide their struggles for fear of being thrown out of school.
How institutions will take part
The agency urged the management of each institution to designate drug integrity test liaison officers who will work directly with NDLEA to run the programme smoothly. Both the polytechnic and the university pledged to partner with the agency to ensure the policy succeeds on their campuses.
Embedding liaison officers inside the schools is meant to make the process routine and locally managed, rather than something imposed from outside. It also gives students a clear point of contact for questions about screening and available support services.
Part of a national policy
The Katsina visits are part of a national plan under which the NDLEA and the Federal Ministry of Education have agreed to introduce a compulsory drug integrity test for students in tertiary institutions. The agency has also moved to digitise the process, including an online portal for screening and related certification.
Authorities say curbing drug abuse on campus is tied to wider goals of boosting national productivity and keeping young Nigerians healthy. Substance abuse has been linked to poor academic performance, mental-health crises and, in some cases, campus violence.
A nationwide rollout
Katsina is one of several states the agency is visiting as the policy spreads across the country. NDLEA officers have held similar sessions on other campuses, explaining the screening, answering questions and signing institutions up to the scheme before testing formally begins.
The agency has paired the campaign with sustained drug raids, arrests and treatment referrals nationwide, arguing that enforcement alone cannot solve the problem. Demand reduction, it says, requires reaching young people early with information, screening and a clear route to help.
Why it matters
Nigeria has battled rising drug use among young people, with surveys pointing to high prevalence rates compared with global averages. Targeting tertiary institutions places the intervention where many first-time users are, at an age when early help can change the course of a life.
Critics of mandatory screening often raise concerns about privacy and stigma, and how results are stored and used. The NDLEA insists its drug integrity test is built around support and confidentiality, but families and students in Katsina will be watching how those promises hold up in practice.
