Drug test before marriage not for ladies only - NDLEA

 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a clarification regarding its conduct of drug tests on Nigerian citizens. 

The agency's spokesperson, Jonah Achema in a statement released on Saturday September 19, said NDLEA chairman, Mohammed Mustapha Abdalla was quoted out of context in report of single ladies undergoing drug tests. 

Achema stated that the agency did not single out ladies for the drug integrity test, but intended it for prospective couples. 

He said; 

For the avoidance of doubt, what the chairman said was that as an extension of drug integrity test policy in public service, NDLEA is also considering partnering with the religious leaders. 

This consideration is to make drug test a prerequisite for marriage in churches and mosques as in the case of HIV/AIDs and Genotype tests.

It, therefore, smacks of cheap chauvinism of one to manipulate statement meant for intending couples to mean ladies, as if ladies is a generic term for the marriage institution or intending couple.

Making it a women affair is trivialising the issue and trying to engender discrimination, which is far from the intention of the gender friendly NDLEA.