NDLEA Trains Counselors Nationwide

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has begun a nationwide training programme for its counselors as part of efforts to improve drug treatment and rehabilitation services across the country.

Naija News reports that the training is being held at the NDLEA Academy in Jos, Plateau State, and is being organized by the Directorate of Counseling, Treatment and Rehabilitation (DCTR).

More than 100 counselors from different NDLEA formations across Nigeria are taking part in the first phase of the programme.

The exercise is the first major capacity-building programme organised by the agency specifically for its counselors in several years.

It is designed to improve their professional skills and ensure that people receiving treatment at NDLEA rehabilitation centres get proper and effective care.

The training focuses on creating a common approach to counseling and rehabilitation across the agency’s facilities.

Participants are also being equipped with updated knowledge and skills to deal with new forms of substance abuse and cases where drug use occurs alongside mental health problems.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the programme would help improve the confidence and skills of counselors while giving them better tools to handle the changing nature of substance use disorders.

Marwa, who was represented at the opening of the first phase by the Director of Counseling, Treatment and Rehabilitation, ACGN Bashir Ibrahim, said the programme was part of efforts to strengthen the rehabilitation aspect of the agency’s responsibilities.

The training will also help the agency create uniform procedures for rehabilitation centres under its various state commands.

Counselors will gain a better understanding of professional ethics, patient confidentiality and proper methods for checking the quality of services provided to clients.

Another area covered by the programme is the proper collection and management of data from rehabilitation centres.

The agency expects better records to support planning and decisions on drug treatment and prevention programmes.

The programme will further encourage counselors to continue improving their skills through professional development, peer review and clinical supervision.

These measures are expected to reduce differences in the quality of services provided at various NDLEA facilities.

The agency said improving the skills of its counseling workforce would help produce better treatment outcomes for people struggling with substance use and provide more consistent care across the country.

Marwa said the NDLEA would continue to train and develop its personnel as part of its wider strategy to address both the supply and demand sides of drug abuse in Nigeria.

The agency said the initiative would also help bring its drug treatment and rehabilitation services closer to accepted national and international standards while strengthening the overall system for supporting people affected by substance abuse.