The Federal Government has approved the introduction of mandatory pre-employment drug testing for all prospective applicants to the Nigerian public service.
The move, The Nation learnt, is aimed at curbing the growing menace of illicit drug use and safeguarding national productivity and security.
The directive, conveyed through a service-wide circular issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), mandates all permanent secretaries and heads of extra-ministerial departments and parastatals to make drug testing a core requirement in the recruitment of new personnel across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
A statement by the Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, said under the new policy, MDAs are required to collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in conducting the tests, in line with established standards and procedures.
According to the circular, the decision forms part of the present administration’s broader determination to tackle drug and substance abuse decisively and to insulate the nation’s workforce from practices considered inimical to efficiency, discipline and public trust.
