Nigerians were in ecstatic mood some months back when the former military administrator of Lagos and Borno states resumed office as the new Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The anti-drug agency has a well-known reputation for apprehending individuals and groups that are into exportation and importation of banned substances into the country. In recent years, the NDLEA hasn’t been living up to its reputation of combating crime that are related to the production, packaging, usage and marketing of banned drugs all over the country. The agency, being one of the agencies working with the federal ministry of health, has recorded remarkable and spectacular achievements since its establishment. They have made visible progress in reducing the rate at which people produce and market hard drugs.
In the last decade, the scourge of hard drugs production and marketing has increased rapidly where present report have it that an estimated 15 million Nigerians are drug addicts of which one(1) out of every four(4) females in the country is a drug addict according to the United Natuons Office on Drug Control in 2018. We have seen cases of Nigerians making attempts to either import (smuggle) or export hard drugs in and out of the country. There have been countless cases of people that were apprehended by the Customs and NDLEA officials at our international airports and our land borders in recent years.
Nigeria as a country lack sensitization programs on the dangers of drug abuse and the monumental risk factor of involving in drug smuggling. Due to many psychosocial factors, many Nigerians have been lured into drug businesses. It has become prevalent amongst both genders. These days, you see women hiding drugs in different parts of their bodies and the men using different schemes to swindle immigration officers at the airports in their attempts to smuggle or export banned substance into or out of the country.
These acts are becoming prevalent in recent years and well-meaning Nigerians have been expressing concerns about the organization and its reputation that is fading away due to negligence and lack of government’s investment and adequately budgeting resources needed for the agency to thrive in curbing the business of hard drugs and apprehending its dealers.
So, with the coming of Gen. Buba Marwa as the helmsman of the agency, all hopes have been restored and there are huge optimism that the organization will live up to its expectations by combating drug abuse and apprehending unlicensed dealers and illicit drug traffickers. The new NDLEA BOSS is a man with a stellar record in corporate management and organization excellence as a former military administrator of Lagos and Borno states, where some of us as pupils/students then in primary and secondary schools got familiar with his performance as his name rang bell even to the ears of the deaf of his noble achievements and fight against criminality in Lagos state in particular. As a concerned citizen and unrepentant follower of his track record, he has done excellently well in all the national tasks that were assigned to him by the federal government, especially in the area of drug management and control which he keeps demonstrating leadership capacity with undeniable results.
Haven attained high scores based on his performance from the previous appointment as the Chairman of the Presidential Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse in Nigeria, where he championed a comprehensive report to the federal government on the committee’s findings which necessitated his appointment as the new boss of the organization. His recommendation was as a result of his sheer determination and concern to save millions of Nigerians who are currently addicted to the menace of drugs. Needless to say, Gen. Buba Marwa is an astute gentleman with a penchant for excellence, growth, quality, a carrier of goodwill and discipline needed for achieving organization’s goals and objectives who for some of us are thus inspired and motivated by his personality, deeds and outstanding records as a gallant soldier and for his emergence as the man whom the cap fits. He has displayed readiness and will power as someone with the technical know-how and character to reposition the agency to greater heights.
Why Nigerians and the world should support this distinguished Nigerian. From all performance indicators, the man is a goal-getter with proven integrity, goodwill and a detribalised personality who ensures that patriotism and national interest are pursued in place of personal aggrandizement. Just recently, the agency within 2 months has recorded successes worthy of commendation. For the whole of 2019, it is on record that the Murtala Mohammed International Airport NDLEA Command only recovered 34.109kg of cocaine and 21.79kg of heroine but with less than 2months of the new drug Sheriff in 2021, the command has seized 63.217kg of cocaine and 950kg heroine respectively.
In cannabis seizure, Edo state was in the news recently as 16,344 bags and seed weighing 233,778kg with estimated street value of the illicit drugs put at over 1.4 billion naira was seized, should Kogi state be mentioned where the command seized 10,978,399kg of the illicit drugs worth street value of 3billion naira seized or the 26 hectares of land recover, the 313, 36.759kg destroyed, should the seized cocaine in Lagos worth 30 billion naira be mentioned or the container loaded with tramadol be mentioned and so on.
The passion that is being exhibited by the new NDLEA Chief in this task is worth of emulation, couple with dedication, motivation, assurances of welfare packages and reward system to performing personnel, calls for partnerships and collaborations, anti-drug tours and visits etc. All these are signs of a dogged and pragmatic leadership. Sadly, the drug barons have found huge market within our youthful population by destroying their futures to make wealth. Nigerians should realize that when you throw a stone to the market, you won’t know who it will hit. Drug dealers as you throw stones, it can hit one of your relatives who go to the same market for trade.
In my noblest call, Nigerians should throw their weight behind this gallant soldier by supporting the fight at the family and community level. No youth should die aimlessly and ignorantly. No nation can survive nationhood or develop if the youths are sacrificed at the altar of drug abuse which is our current peril as a state. As we cry every day due to the high level of insecurity, kidnapping, banditry, criminality, cultism etc. Nigeria needs the youths for her inheritance to be preserved. Frankly speaking, the drug scourge is not a problem for the new NDLEA leader, but that of all Nigerians. The obvious fact is that no family is safe whether rich, middle class or the poor.
The federal government of Nigeria including the legislative and the executive arms must not pay lip service, the need for huge fund injection to help get the needed result is undebatable. Corporate organisations, religious bodies, traditional institutions, well-meaning individuals, the international community and donor agencies should come to our aid so as to help rescue Nigerian youths from total destruction in order to fulfil their purposes of creation.
At our end, SILEC Initiatives as an organization is very much effective and relevant as we are in the forefront in the fight. We are glad to recognize the proactive steps taken by the head of the NDLEA and we are looking forward to working with him as he interfaces with all the NGOs that are into anti-drug sensitization and counselling.
There is indeed a breath of fresh air in the NDLEA and as an organization that is into anti-drug campaigns for over a decade now, we are already warming up to further expand our scope of work as it is our tradition to work with all government agencies that are into combating drug abuse. The need for we all as citizens and corporate citizens to stand and save Nigeria from this habitual and moral decadence is NOW!
Amb. Sunny Irakpo is the founder/President Silec Initiatives, youth leader and anti-drug abuse advocate, U.S Government sponsored Exchange Alumni of the International visitors leadership program (IVLP) in combating drug addiction and the opioid crisis, bureau of educational and cultural affairs, U.S Department of State Washington DC