Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa, on Monday reeled his scorecard after mounting the saddle at the anti-drug agency for a period of five months.
Marwa, who described the illicit trade in drug and abuse as a hydra-headed monster that must be crushed for Nigeria to move forward, issued a red card to those in the ignoble business.
He says it’s time for drug cartels, barons and traffickers to quit or face tough consequences.
“It is equally important to make our message unmistakably clear to those involved in the trafficking of illicit substances; the cartels, barons and traffickers, that it is time for them quit or face a tough consequence”, Marwa said at a media briefing on Monday in Abuja, ahead of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking.
Full text of his speech:
“It is indeed a great pleasure to welcome you to this press briefing.
Ladies and gentlemen, the 26th of June is earmarked by the United Nations as International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking with this year’s day appropriately themed “Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives.”
This is my first press briefing on the UN day having only been in office as Chairman and CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, for less than six months.
Today’s event is organized to herald weeklong activities lined up in commemoration of this special day. Against the backdrop of the renewed war against illicit drug activities in this country, we must avail ourselves of every opportunity to drive the message home to Nigerians about the importance of having a drug-free country. At the same time, it is equally important to make our message unmistakably clear to those involved in the trafficking of illicit substances; the cartels, barons and traffickers, that it is time for them quit or face a tough consequence.
To this end, the week will be devoted to a range of activities designed to accentuate the new anti-drug order and to further ramp up the Agency’s advocacy to the citizenry. This afternoon, I will be launching the Standard Policy and Practice Guidelines, SPPG, for NDLEA counsellors.
On Tuesday 22nd of June, I will be on NTA “Tuesday Live” at 10 pm.
Wednesday 23rd of June, tagged NGO Day, is set aside for all Non-Governmental Organisations working in the drug abuse prevention/advocacy spectrum to hold their various activities in celebration of UN anti-drug day 2021.
On Thursday 24th of June, our line-up of activities starts with a programme on Radio Nigeria at 8 am. The day will also feature a youth awareness programme. It will involve our advocacy visitations to six institutions selected from each of the six local council areas of the FCT.
On Friday 25th of June, there will be a special Juma’at service in commemoration of the UN Day at the National Mosque, Abuja. The day’s activities will be capped with the movie premiere of ‘The Silent Baron’ at the Silverbird Cinema, Abuja at 4pm.
Saturday, 26th of June will feature the grand finale, the formal launch of War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) by the Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. The day will also feature a guest lecture and the unveiling of the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) 2021-2025.
On Sunday, 27th of June, the week’s activities will be rounded off with church thanksgiving service.
The theme for this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking, “Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives,” is very significant considering the unquantifiable and enormous danger posed by substance abuse. Abuse of narcotics has incapacitated the workforce of organisations and ruined communities and societies. It has brought about family disintegration, decimated the capacities of our youths and given rise to all types of crimes such as insurgency, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, rape and violent extremism which have befallen nations including our dear country Nigeria with attendant health consequences on the users.
The dynamism of the drug problem has made it imperative for us to continue to deepen our knowledge and understanding of this deleterious conundrum. In this regard, sharing facts about drug abuse and illicit trafficking in narcotics, as captured by this year’s theme, will go a long way in shedding some light on hitherto hidden factors that aid predisposition to substance abuse, especially the question of new psychoactive substances.
Drug abuse as an enabler of all forms of criminality is a hydra-headed monster that must be crushed if we must move forward as a nation. The solution lies in having hyper-efficient anti-drug machinery, which is what the NDLEA stands for.
Since my assumption of office as Chairman/CEO in January this year, we set machinery in motion to reposition the Agency. I am glad to report to you today that after five months, we are making a definite headway in repositioning the NDLEA for efficiency and effectiveness.
We have succeeded in boosting the morale and confidence of officers and men of the NDLEA through practical steps taken to address welfare and career stagnation issues. To this end, we instituted, among other measures, a bi-monthly assessment and cash-backed award for Best Performing Commands to motivate officers and men on the field. Recently, the agency promoted 3, 506 officers who have stagnated in the past years, some for upward of 10, 15 and even 20 years on one rank. One person actually stayed 21 years on one rank.
Major administrative steps were taken to restore the visibility of the Agency for local and international partnerships. And in five months, we have made appreciable progress. So far, the image of the Agency has tremendously improved, so much so that today, people are now aware of the existence of the NDLEA unlike before.
Our interaction with the public has been enhanced and people come freely to volunteer information to us. By the same token, we have been able to attract international support that has yielded donations of operational equipment, technical assistance, training and pledges of support by the UNODC, EU, US, UK, French, Indian and German governments and others.
We worked to create a climate of unprecedented goodwill for the Agency through advocacy visits to governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders and other stakeholders. A Special Purpose Committee was set up to involve stakeholders in the war against illicit drugs.
Just as well, we also created additional directorates to help the much-needed repositioning and catalyse the peak performance required of the Agency. We further took several steps to improve the operational capacity of our officers and men. Our expansion to Zonal Commands has also recently been approved by the NDLEA Board.
Expectedly, our painstaking and strategic operational efforts have translated into encouraging results. The Agency’s offensive action against drug cartels across the country launched some five months ago, has yielded over 2,180 arrests of drug traffickers and the seizure of over 2 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs. We have filed at least 2,100 drug cases in court, recording over 500 convictions with 1,549 cases pending in court.
These results have given us big insights into the magnitude of the drug problem. Distinguished guests and gentlemen of the press, the work ahead is enormous. NDLEA cannot win the drug war without the help of citizens. We need the cooperation of all and sundry.
We all owe Nigeria the duty of ensuring that drug abuse and trafficking do not thrive in this country. For us all, it is an urgent assignment, because if we must end youth radicalization, violent extremism, cultism, banditry, wanton kidnapping, insurgency and the like, drug abuse and trafficking must be dealt a decisive blow.
To win the drug war, NDLEA must synergize with other law enforcement and sister agencies and stakeholders for maximum impact. The simplest contribution that we ask of every patriotic citizen is what is captured by the theme of this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking: “Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives.”
I want to especially thank His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, for his support. The President has continued to demonstrate the strong political will to address issues of drug abuse in the country fully recognising that drug abuse has a direct link to insecurity. We in the NDLEA will continue to execute his mandate to fight against the menace of drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
I also thank our sister agencies, stakeholders, foreign partners and the media for their support. The drug war must be won. With your support, our victory is assured”.
