Marwa And The Transformation Of NDLAE -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

It is not in my habit as a public affairs commentator to praise government agencies in Nigeria because of the laxity and nonchalant attitude associated with Nigeria civil service. But, based on the current performance of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), I think that the agency deserves special commendation. And in doing that, I also think that I am not surprised at the achievement of the agency in recent times because of the man at the helm of affairs at the agency, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa, CON, the man with the Midas touch. Many believe and rightly too that the appointment of Marwa to head the nation’s anti-drug agency was the most important appointment made by Mohammadu Buhari in his eight years of misadventure in governance and renewing his appointment is the most strategic decision made by the current regime of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 

Marwa has proved to be a man with special administrative ingenuity and commitment to public service. He has an enviable track record of performance in public service. From Borno State to Lagos State where held sway as military governor, he left an indelible mark as an achiever. And under Marwa, the NDLEA has undergone massive institutional reforms. He is working tirelessly to transform the agency into world class organization, adopting global best practice and improving administrative competences and staff welfare. It is about the only agency now that has no scandal. The agency has never had it as good as it does now in its 37 years of existence.

As I listened to Marwa speech on June 26, the World Drug Day, I nodded with satisfaction. The International Drug Day was marked recently in Abuja in a colorful ceremony organized by the NDLEA, the Federal Ministry of Health and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Brigadier General Marwa used the occasion to highlight some of the recent achievement of the agency, its programs and strategic action, reaffirming its commitment to targeting criminal networks with the aim of effectively cutting off their lifeblood. The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA said World Drug Day, observed globally on June 26, is “A vital occasion during which our collective efforts against the illicit drug menace are evaluated, refined, and given a definitive policy direction for the subsequent 12 months.”

In his speech, the ace public administrator said that the NDLEA has intercepted over 5.3 million kilograms of illicit drugs worth an estimated N1.5 trillion in recent months. They have arrested 29,262 suspects, secured conviction of 5,225 drug offenders and dismantling several drug trafficking networks across the country. Within the last 18 months it has conducted 6,645 sensitization awareness programs and equipping five million Nigerians with life skills to resist drugs abuse. And about 13,508 drug users have received counselling, treatment and rehabilitation through the agency’s 31 rehabilitation centers nationwide during the same period. The drug law enforcement czar emphasized that they are not just focusing on arrest; the agency is also targeting the wealth of drug traffickers, dismantling their financial empires to cut off life blood of the drug cartels. Marwa and his agency has gone a step further by establishing Alternative Development Program an Initiative designed for local cannabis sativa growers to trade-off their illicit for the cultivation of legitimate crops.

And just like great achievers, Marwa was modest in savoring his successes…He recognized the enormity of work that need to be done to effectively combat the scourge of drug abuse and trafficking in the country. He noted that the drug landscape is changing rapidly with the proliferation of synthetic drugs and digital illicit market requiring highly innovative and technology-driven enforcement. He acknowledged, “Although the NDLEA has recorded notable achievement in both drug supply reduction, the complexity of the drug problem requires a whole-of-government and a whole-of-society approach, saying that the government institutions, communities, families, development partners, private sector, religious and traditional leaders, civil society organizations and the media all have critical roles to play in addressing the menace. 

Yes, Marwa was right to admit that anti-drug war requires the concerted effort of just as he said recently that, ‘no single institution can win war against drugs alone thereby calling for a coordinated national response to tackle illicit drug use and trafficking. And in realization of this fact, “the NDLEA under the leadership of Brig-general Buba Marwa has created different platforms to enable stakeholders’ participation in the war against drug trafficking and abuse like the School and Youth Outreach, Community and Grassroots Mobilization, Media and Public Enlightenment Campaigns, Stakeholders’ Collaboration and Rehab and Counselling and has gone ahead to establish the Alternative Development Program which is like an amnesty program designed to empower the local growers of cannabis to stop and take up farming of legitimate crops. The NDLEA alternative development program has been internationally acknowledged as the first of its kind in Africa.”

While I congratulate Marwa and his team for job well done, I will enjoin other public office holders to emulate Marwa’s  patriotic zeal, commitment to duty and exemplary conduct. That is the only way to boost national productivity and accelerate economic and social transformation of the country.

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed 

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com 

An actress, social activist, politician 

London, UK