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Authors
- Dr Abolaji Solomon
Department of Political Science and Public Administration,
Faculty of Business and Social Sciences,
Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State
+234 703 892 5464
2. Olaniyi Ridwan Olalekan
Department of Public Administration,
Faculty of Social and Management Sciences,
University of Ilesa, Ilesa, Osun State
+234 805 612 3858
Abstract
Substance abuse has become one of the most prominent public healthcare concerns in Nigeria, with rates of prevalence among university students consistently outpacing the national average in most cases. The general adoption of zero-tolerance policies in higher institutions in Southwestern Nigeria in place of policies that offer rehabilitation support has left one critical knowledge gap untouched: the comparative effect of punitive measures vis-à-vis the accessibility of rehabilitation services in helping to reduce drug abuse among students and improve academic performance. The study employed a quantitative quasi-experimental comparative cross-sectional study, yielding data from a stratified sample of 1800 undergraduate university students in four institutions in South-Western Nigeria, categorized according to the predominant policy mix: High Punitive/Low Rehabilitative group and the Moderate Punitive/Moderate Rehabilitative group. The effect was evaluated via Binary Logistic Regression analysis (for prevalence) and Multivariate Linear Regression analysis (for Academic performance/CGPA), while controlling for socio-demographic variables. The analysis showed that whereas the perceived enforcement of disciplinary policies was not significantly related to discouraging drug-use behavior (OR=1.03, p=0.74), the only policy parameter to demonstrate significance in encouraging good outcomes was the accessibility of support services to help with rehabilitation. High accessibility to support services was significantly related to a 45% reduction in the odds of currently being a drug user (OR = 0.55, 95% CI [0.41–0.73], p < 0.001). In addition, the linear regression analysis indicated that the accessibility of rehabilitation was significantly related to Academic Success, with the former being able to predict an increase of 0.15 points in the student’s CGPA (β = 0.15, p = 0.003). The results contest the current policy paradigm in southwestern Nigerian higher education institutions which relies heavily on the efficacy of deterrence. The data presented evidences conclusively that the most efficacious approach to decreasing SUs in higher education institutions while ensuring enhanced performance is institutional commitment to readily accessible and confidential rehabilitation programs. There is an imperative need to move from the current punishment-oriented approach to one that is proactive and promotes student well-being in higher education institutions.
Keywords: Substance Abuse Policy, Rehabilitative Services, Deterrence, Drug Prevalence