The Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), yesterday urged parties to make drug integrity test part of the screening requirements for aspirants seeking to contest offices in the 2023 general election on their platforms.
He spoke at the 2022 First Quarter Best Performing Commands Awards ceremony at the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja.
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Marwa said: “For politicians, we have long advocated and I take the opportunity again to repeat the advocacy that when they run for public office, it demands a lot of responsibility from the person and we need to be certain if he’s a person that is already a drug addict/user, who will spend all the money he’s given for public service to consume cocaine and his head will not be in a stable condition to handle the affairs he has been entrusted with. For this reason, we have advocated and will continue to advocate that drug test be conducted for politicians. Some state governments like Kano are already doing this.
Not just politicians, but government appointees, and I’ve just sent a letter this morning to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who will be the first of the national working committee. I wish to pay an advocacy visit on this issue. I recommended that drug tests be incorporated in the screening process for those interested in running for public office; we’ll do the same to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other important parties.”
