The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has raised concern over the growing menace of drug abuse among students in tertiary institutions, calling for urgent national action to safeguard the country’s future leaders.
The President of NANS, Comrade Olusola Oladoja at the 2025 National campaign against drug abuse in Abuja on Monday, described drug abuse as a “public health crisis” that threatened academic excellence, moral integrity, and national productivity.
The campaign has the theme: ” Building a Drug-Free Students Community.”
Oladoja emphasised that the prevalence of substances such as marijuana, tramadol, codeine, and methamphetamine (“ice” or “mkpurummiri”) among young people was eroding discipline and academic focus across campuses.
“Drug abuse among students is no longer an isolated concern; it has evolved into a national emergency affecting learning, safety, and productivity,” Oladoja stated.
Speaking on the impact of drugs on students and campuses, he said drug abuse have “multi-dimensional,” touching academic, psychological, social, and national domains.
He identified academic decline, mental health challenges, and increased campus violence as major consequences of substance use.
The NANS president also linked the rise in cultism, assault, and unrest in higher institutions to the influence of drugs, warning that the moral values and discipline that once defined Nigerian students were fast deteriorating.
“The future workforce of the nation is at risk, as drug abuse undermines productivity, innovation, and civic responsibility,” he added.
To reverse the trend, he urged all stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), school managements, and civil society organisations to collaborate under a Drug-Free Campus Initiative (DFCI) to promote awareness, prevention, and rehabilitation within campuses.
“A drug-free academic environment is essential for effective learning, safety, and character formation,” Oladoja emphasised.
To ensure practical solutions, he proposed mandatory drug testing, establishment of drug-free clubs and inclusion of drug education on campuses.
He also called for counselling, and rehabilitation and sustained partnership of stakeholders to organise periodic campaigns, seminars, and testing exercises for students.
Oladoja, however, reaffirmed the association’s total commitment to the campaign for drug-free campuses, describing it as crucial to national development and youth empowerment.
“The dream of a prosperous Nigeria begins with a generation of mentally sound, morally upright, and drug-free students,” the NANS President declared.
He called on Nigerian students to take personal responsibility for their health and choices, stressing that the fight against drug abuse must start within the nation’s campuses.