Otamere Gladness 
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa announcing the integration of NgREN and TERAS digital platforms in Abuja.
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Government launches Nigeria’s first national policy on drug and substance abuse in schools, setting out a coordinated framework to curb rising addiction among students.
The policy is unveiled Monday by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who reiterates that education reforms now operate on an 80 per cent implementation, 20 per cent policy development model.
“This is the first time Nigeria is developing a national policy with implementation guidelines on drug abuse in schools,” Alausa says.
The framework targets secondary schools and tertiary institutions, combining counselling, behavioural interventions and disciplinary sanctions for repeat offenders.
Beyond the policy document, the Ministry of Education begins a revision of the secondary school curriculum to include drug-prevention lessons, with plans to cascade the content to primary schools.
Alausa thanks development partners including UNESCO and UNICEF for sustained sector support, stressing that implementation will be state-driven.
Kwara State Commissioner for Education, Lawal Olorungbebe, assures that states will integrate the policy into project plans and deliver results. “We are strategic, decisive and deliberate,” he says.
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