The chairman made the statement while hosting the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Fadah, and his management team at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said, “There is the need for a drug test for our youth corps members as they report at the orientation camps.
“Once they know there will be drug tests at the camps, they will abstain from it. The whole essence is to ensure help gets to those who test positive early. This is part of our War Against Drug Abuse initiative.
“Nigeria has a drug issue. We are determined to ensure this is changed but we can’t do it alone, we need organizations like NYSC to reduce and control the demand for drugs. Nigeria has insufficient rehabilitation and counseling centers. We need counseling centers in the primary health care centers at the grassroots, where we don’t have enough manpower to cover and this is where the young men and women of NYSC come in.
“We can train them in their numbers to serve as counselors at the grassroots level because the majority of drug users only need counseling.”
The NYSC DG stated that he came on a courtesy visit to congratulate the agency’s accomplishments and to seek help as orientation camps prepare to welcome new corps members.
