By Omoyeni Ojeifo
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a major milestone with the commencement of its first agency-driven capacity-building programme for counsellors in several years.
According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi in a statement emailed to PersecondNews on Friday, the training signals a renewed push to strengthen the professional capacity of the agency’s counselling workforce.
The training, which brings together more than 100 counsellors from the agency’s formations nationwide, is aimed at strengthening clinical competencies and standardising counselling practices in line with global best practices.
The exercise, which commenced at the NDLEA Academy, Jos, Plateau State, is being coordinated by the Directorate of Counseling, Treatment and Rehabilitation, (DCTR).
The trainiing, according to NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, represented by the Director, Counseling, Treatment and Rehabilitation, ACGN Bashir Ibrahim, will strengthen staff capacity and improve the quality of rehabilitation services delivered to clients across the agency’s facilities.
At the heart of the initiative is a renewed focus on rehabilitation, with NDLEA seeking to guarantee evidence-based and quality interventions for clients across its facilities.
Marwa noted that the training would harmonise practices through uniform protocols, enhance clinical proficiency and strengthen the agency’s response to emerging psychoactive substances and co-occurring mental health disorders.
The programme will also harmonise counselling practices through uniform protocols, enhance clinical proficiency and strengthen responses to emerging psychoactive substances and co-occurring mental health disorders, Marwa noted.
The chairman reaffirmed NDLEA’s commitment to continuous personnel development, describing it as essential to strengthening the agency’s efforts against drug supply and demand.