Okpebholo Commends UBTH For Opening South-South’s First Drug Testing Centre
By Dada Ayokhai
*BENIN CITY* – *Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo has commended the Chief Medical Director, CMD, of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, Prof. Idia Ize-Iyamu for establishing and commissioning a drug testing centre, the first of its kind in the South-South region of Nigeria.
The Governor spoke through the Commissioner for Public Safety and Security, Hon. Festus Ebea at a stakeholders’ workshop hosted by the management of UBTH in Benin City on Wednesday.
According to the Governor, many pharmacists are complicit in the sale of banned and illicit substances.
”When they are arrested they roll on the ground, begging for forgiveness,” he said.
He also blamed the political elite for the rise in drug abuse, alleging that politicians often mount pressure on his ministry to secure the release of offenders.
”Politicians will come begging that ‘one is my brother, that one is from my village’. In the political space, if you want to continue to win elections, pardon them,” the Governor stated.
Welcoming participants earlier, the chief Medical Director of UBTH *Prof. Ize-Iyamu* said UBTH is the first teaching hospital in the South-South geopolitical zone to open a drug testing centre with the mandate to screen and address the escalating consequences of substance abuse in the region.
”Today is more than the opening of a facility. It is a further step in our collective effort towards prevention, early intervention, safer communities, and better health outcomes,” she said.
The CMD noted that substance abuse has far-reaching effects.
”We see it in impaired judgement, road traffic accidents, violence, broken families, poor academic and occupational performance, declining productivity and, tragically, loss of life. The substances involved may differ, but the consequences can be devastating.”
Prof. Ize-Iyamu listed some of the substances to be tested at the centre to include Amphetamine, Benzodiazepines, Marijuana/Cannabis, Ethanol, Fentanyl, Methadone, Tramadol and Barbiturates.
Also speaking, Assistant AIG Monday Agbonika noted that drug and alcohol abuse fuel crime. He called for greater collaboration among stakeholders to curb drug abuse in the state, adding that “if I had my way, I would have every policeman tested.”
The Edo State Commander of NDLEA, Dr. Mitchell Ofoyeju highlighted the urgent necessity of drug screening.
”Screening is not punishment but prevention and protection,” he said.
He referenced the drug integrity test introduced by Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, Rtd, CON describing it as a proactive strategy for the timely identification and intervention of substance abuse issues.
The workshop explored various forms of substance screening including pre-employment, random, and reasonable suspicion testing each serving a distinct function in preserving a drug-free work environment. Discussions also examined the broader societal consequences of substance abuse, from public health burdens to increased risks of accidents and criminal activity.
