A pre-employment drug testing for prospective applicants into the Public Service has been approved by the Federal Government.
Segun Imohiosen, the Director of Information and Public Relations, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation made this disclosure in a statement released on Monday explaining that initiative is meant to tackle the growing concern around illicit drug use and it’s resultant effect on society.
“The Federal Government has approved the introduction of mandatory pre-employment drug testing as a requirement for prospective applicants into the Public Service, as part of ongoing efforts to curb the rising menace of illicit drug use and its attendant consequences on national development and security.
“Consequently, Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Extra-Ministerial Departments/Parastatals are hereby directed to include mandatory drug testing as a core requirement in the recruitment of new personnel.”
“The directive, which was contained in a service-wide circular from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, including extra-ministerial departments, is in line with the determination of the present administration to decisively tackle the menace of drug and substance abuse and insulate the national workforce from unwholesome practices,”
“The directive on the introduction of mandatory pre-employment drug testing for prospective applicants is premised on the concern raised by the Federal Government over the alarming rate of drug and substance abuse, especially among the teeming youth in the country, with far-reaching implications for public health, socioeconomic development, workplace productivity, and national security,” the statement added.
