The Federal Government has approved a new policy that makes “mandatory pre-employment drug testing” a compulsory requirement for all prospective entrants into the public service.
The directive was conveyed through a service-wide circular issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, OSGF, to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, as well as extra-ministerial departments.
A statement by the Director of Information and Public Relations in the OSGF, Segun Imohiosen, described the policy as part of measures to address “the rising menace of illicit drug use and its attendant consequences on national development and security.”
According to the circular, Permanent Secretaries and heads of government parastatals have been directed “to include mandatory drug testing as a core requirement in the recruitment of new personnel.”
It also instructed MDAs to “collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the conduct of the tests, in line with established standards and procedures.”
Explaining the basis for the policy, the statement said the introduction of compulsory drug screening is “in line with the determination of the present Administration to decisively tackle this menace of drug and substance abuse, and insulate the national workforce from unwholesome practices.”
It added that the decision is “premised on the concern raised by the Federal Government on the alarming rate of drug and substance abuse, particularly among the teeming youth in the country,” warning that the trend has “far-reaching implications for public health, socio-economic development, workplace productivity, and national security.”
Imohiosen stated that the directive takes immediate effect as part of wider public service reforms aimed at strengthening discipline, boosting efficiency and reinforcing national institutions.
