The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has stated that the proposed drug test policy for admission seekers and students is designed to support, not expel, those struggling with substance abuse.

The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, clarified this on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Tuesday.

He emphasised that the agency’s primary objective is to identify and provide help to individuals affected by drug use.

Babafemi said, “We’re treating this as a public health issue, not a crime, let me quickly put that in perspective.

“Whoever tests positive for drug use in that situation – that’s why we work with these institutions – we collaborate with them so that the people who test positive are not punished or expelled from the school.

“They are taken for treatment to wean off these substances and also to get them reintegrated back to their classes, back to the academic pursuit.”

Babafemi explained that the agency’s approach focuses on deterrence, early intervention, counselling, and treatment.

He added, “When people know that they are likely to be tested when going to school as fresh students or returning students, there’s a level of deterrence. They’ll want to be careful, as they don’t want to be caught in the web.

“We are not pushing for them to be expelled from the school; it’s to enable authorities to detect them early and provide support to them. When they test positive, it is to detect them early and provide support for them.

“If they are detected early, it’s easier to treat at that point than to allow the situation to deteriorate to the point of addiction or dependence, which becomes complicated.”

He further noted that the agency has provided treatment and counselling services for those who test positive.

“Perhaps some of these institutions have counseling and treatment centers. For those that don’t, we have 30 of our treatment counselling centres across the country, and we have three more coming up in the next couple of weeks. All of these are provided for people to get support and treatment.

“Apart from that, we also have a 24-hour call centre where we have our mental health centres, counsellors, clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, and psychiatrist doctors that provide these. Also, on the telephone, we have our toll-free helplines that people can always call and get the needed support.”

Babafemi also stated that the agency has produced authentic test kits that people can use in the comfort of their homes to see whether their kids or wards are already abusing illicit substances.

“All of these we provide to ensure that students are not just tested and left or abandoned, they also get support, and even right on our test kit, we have our toll-free helplines for people to call in the comfort of their homes and get the needed support, guidance, and support for their loved ones that test positive.

“The cost of the test will be borne by the beneficiary of the service. We provide the service free of charge, but the kit is not free; it ranges between N5,000 and N10,000, depending on the type of kit being used,” he said.

It was reported on Monday that the NDLEA commander, Kwara State Command, Hajia Fatima Abiola-Popoola, urged the National Universities Commission to make drug tests a requirement for admission into tertiary institutions.

She said it would serve as prevention measures as she lamented the increase in the number of drug users in the country, especially females.