By USMAN ALIYU

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it is collaborating with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to introduce drug testing for commercial vehicle driver licensing to reduce drug-related road accidents.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Marwa, said this on Thursday in Benin during a stakeholders’ engagement on the theme: “Addressing the Drug Problem in Edo”.

Marwa said some commercial drivers used drugs to stay awake and make more trips without considering the effects on their judgement and driving ability.

“Because the drivers want to go and come back quickly, make more money, they take more drugs without knowing the effects it will have in the brain,” he said.

He warned that drug use could impair drivers’ judgement, thereby endangering passengers and other road users.

“They get sleepy on the way or the road becomes too confusing for them, they take the wrong lane and they perish with innocent passengers on board,” he said.

Marwa urged transport unions to prohibit alcohol and drug use in motor parks, adding that he had discussed the issue with road transport workers in Edo, who pledged to cooperate with the agency.

He also reiterated his proposal for mandatory drug testing of intending couples as part of marriage preparations, alongside existing HIV and genotype tests.

He said a prospective spouse who tested positive should undergo rehabilitation and present a negative drug test before the marriage could proceed.

“It doesn’t mean you kill the union. It only means; what does it mean? Rehab,” he said, stressing that the fight against drug abuse required collective action.

“We cannot do it alone. It’s a whole-of-society approach. All the stakeholders must join hands, flex muscles, work together, collaborate and defeat this criminality,” he said.

He disclosed that the agency arrested no fewer than 1,200 suspects and seized over 30 tonnes of illicit substances in Edo in the previous year.

According to him, drug-use prevalence in the state stood at about 15 per cent among people aged 15 to 64, describing the figure as unacceptable.

Marwa urged parents and guardians to monitor their children’s behaviour and seek early intervention when they noticed signs of substance abuse.

“Parents and guardians must monitor their children.

“You know your child, the normal behaviours of the child, and when you notice some changes, you know that it’s time to interrogate and find out what’s going on there,” he said.

He also urged schools to establish drug-free clubs and counselling units, while calling on the media to discourage the glorification of drug use by entertainers and other public figures.

Mrs Edesili Okpebholo-Anani, described drug abuse as a growing threat to families and communities.

Okpebholo-Anani is the Coordinator of the Office of the Wife of the Edo Governor and Chairperson of the state Drug Control Committee.

She said its consequences included health challenges and financial hardship for families struggling to rehabilitate affected relatives.

Okpebholo-Anani commended the NDLEA’s alternative development initiative, which encourages cannabis farmers to adopt legitimate livelihoods, describing it as an innovative approach to addressing the economic drivers of illegal cultivation.

She said Edo was interested in replicating the pilot project and had received a positive response from the agency.

Earlier, the Commandant of NDLEA in Edo, Dr Mitchell Ofoyeju, said the engagement was designed to strengthen intelligence-sharing, public awareness, prevention, enforcement and rehabilitation.

He called for sustained cooperation among government institutions, traditional and religious leaders, the judiciary, security agencies, civil society organisations and communities to achieve a drug-free Edo.

During a question-and-answer session, Marwa called for stronger judicial action against drug offenders, saying some suspects returned to the illicit trade after securing bail or paying fines.

He said a proposed amendment to the NDLEA Act, which had passed second reading at the National Assembly, sought to introduce prison terms of between 15 and 25 years and remove the option of fines. (NAN)

•PHOTO, L-R: Dr Mitchell Ofoyeju, Commandant, Edo Command of NDLEA; Brig.-Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/CEO of NDLEA; Coordinator, Wife of the Edo Governor Office, Mrs Edesili Okpebholo-Anani and Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA at the stakeholders engagement