FG Orders Compulsory Drug Testing For Public Service Applicants

Bola Tinubu

The Federal Government has approved a new policy that makes mandatory pre-employment drug testing a key requirement for all prospective entrants into the public service. The directive was issued via a service-wide circular from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation OSGF to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs, as well as extra-ministerial departments.

According to the Director of Information and Public Relations in the OSGF, Segun Imohiosen, the measure is part of efforts to tackle the rising menace of illicit drug use and its attendant consequences on national development and security.

He added that Permanent Secretaries and heads of government parastatals have been instructed to include mandatory drug testing as a core requirement in the recruitment of new personnel, henceforth.

His words, “The introduction of mandatory drug screening is in line with the determination of the present Administration to decisively tackle this menace of drug and substance abuse, and insulate the national workforce from unwholesome practices.

The decision is premised on the concern raised by the Federal Government on the alarming rate of drug and substance abuse, particularly among the teeming youth in the country. The trend carries far-reaching implications for public health, socio-economic development, workplace productivity, and national security.”

WOW.