The Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Prof. Bilkis Lafiaji-Okuneye, has announced that all 4,500 prospective students seeking admission for the 2024/25 academic session will undergo drug tests before being offered admission.
Lafiaji-Okuneye said the decision followed an incident involving a drug-addicted student who caused panic on campus months ago, prompting the institution to collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to ensure a drug-free environment.
She stressed that regardless of performance in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), no student would be admitted without being certified drug-free.
“We are a teacher grooming institution, therefore we aim to instill in our would-be teachers the morals and discipline worthy of a teacher,” she said, adding that the measure was to safeguard students’ mental and academic well-being and raise institutional standards.
The VC also cautioned parents against rushing their children through school or enabling them to pass exams through “miracle centres,” warning that such shortcuts produce students unable to cope with university demands. She urged parents to build their children’s moral foundation to resist peer pressure and deviant behaviour.
Lafiaji-Okuneye commended JAMB for introducing security features that have significantly reduced malpractice in public examinations.