How NDLEA Has Been Battling Drug Abuse

• Brig. Gen. BUBA MARWA, NDLEA Boss Opens Up

Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, (retired) has been the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) since January 2021. He previously served as governor of Lagos State from 1996 to 1999 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar and governor of Borno State from 1990 to 1992 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.

On 19th November, 2024, the Island Club, held a business luncheon, at the Kensington Adebutu Hall, Onikan, Lagos, where General Buba Maruwa was the keynote speaker. At the event, he spoke about the “Challenges and solution of drug abuse in Nigeria” and how the NDLEA has been working effortlessly to curb drug abuse in Nigeria. Below is a text of his speech:

“I will speak on the topic that is germane to the value of our society, thank you for the invitation and I also use this to thank the two speakers,Professor Baale and Professor Oladapo for your continuous contribution.

Permit me to take this opportunity to begin a presentation with the leadership and membership of this esteemed and leading social club. The Lion Club is well known locally, international and you have done a lot and will continue to do a lot towards the upliftment of our society.

Your choice of the topic of discussion today,drug abuse in Nigeria,challenges and solution is a testament to the normal vision of this assiduous club.

You could not have selected a better topic. In our opinion, in the NDLEA, there is no greater problem or challenge in Nigeria today than the problem of drug abuse.

Every community in Nigeria faces this challenge,it doesn’t discriminate between rich and poor,Between the  Muslim and Christian,Northern,Northerners or South.

It is everywhere and | know that in this hall every single one of us has a story to tell on drug abuse, either it is our families or within our neighborhoods, or our relatives or our communities. So I say kudos to Lions club for selecting this topic.

In Nigeria, the challenge of drug abuse has become a public health concern, I’m the guest speaker, I hope I will not be stopped.

The challenge of drug abuse as I was saying has become a public health concern, Drug abuse also known as substance abuse, is the use of drugs or substances in a manner that is harmful to an individual’s physical, mental, or social wellbeing.

It typically connotes using drugs in a non prescribed way, for instance by taking medications like painkillers, sedatives or stimulants for purposes that are intent for consuming substances such as cocaine, heroine, cannabis or taking excessive socially acceptable drugs like alcohol, over time apart from the health consequences,drug abuse can lead to physical or psychological dependence where the user is unable to function without the substances.

These compulsive use bring inability to control the urge to consume drugs despite negative consequences, often leads to change the tolerance levels, where the body starts to need more of the substance to achieve the same effects.Cocaine,heroine and the ordinary cough syrup containing codine.

According to 2018 national drug survey, which we had  already been introduced to by 14.3 million Nigerians is between 15 and 64 years use psychotropic substances other than alcohol and tobacco.

One of four drug users is female, while one in five individuals who have used drug in the past year is suffering from substance use disorders.

Also revealed is the fact that cannabis is the most common drug of use as 10.6 million Nigerians use cannabis, followed by pharmaceutical operates mainly tramadol  to a lesser extent,codiene, morphine, cough syrups containing codiene etc .

According to the same report, the age of first use of cannabis is 19 years, But | can tel| you that that has gone down to a much smaller age of primary school levels, our kids are using it.

The other day. I personally did the advocacy to my own primary school,Olumo primary school in Lafenwa,Abeokuta | spoke to the children virtually.

According to this survey, the highest prevalence of any drug use in Nigeria is actually the Southwest Geopolitical zone with the prevalence of 22.4%. This is followed by the south south Geopolitical zone, the prevalence of 16.6%, Next is Southeast, the prevalence of 13.8%.

Next comes the Northeast Geopolitical zone,with 13.6%. and then the northwest Geopolitical zone with 12% And the North Central Geopolitical zone has 10% Prevalence.

The high prevalence of drug use in the Southern zones is driven primarily by Lagos States and Oyo States.

Well, in the North, it is Kano and Gombe States.

The prevalence in Lagos is 33% between the ages of 15 and 64, And Kano is 17% and equally disturbing dimension of drug abuse is the use of substances not under national or international conventions, such substances come under different names and are generally grouped under the nomenclature of new psychoactive substances.

N-P-S psychoactive substances exert major actions on the brain as they come in different forms Such as designer cannabis and the profess mentioned a few those names Loud, Arizona,Colorado and So on We have NPS like asporia you only need to rinse with it and pour it out, rinsing alone intoxicate.

Then you have Monkey Tail, which is a brew of cannabis and liquor and scoochies, which is a dangerous mix of Zobo,Cannabis,Codiene And Tramadol tablets,In fact, even drug laced cookies and cakes are now in circulation.

But I came to learn of NPS (New Psychoactive Resources) long, long, long before I came to work in the N.D.L.E.A actually in 1974, as a young officer in Port Harcourt, we went on an enforcement action to evict some tenants.

Even with the warnings on tobacco and other illicit drugs, like that on the cigarette that most of you are familiar with , the dire warning regarding the use of tobacco that “smokers are liable to die young.” drug abusers still go on to take it.

I have seen that most people who take drugs, do it to take away the stress of economic pressure, also some of the youths who  indulge in drug abuse, do it for them to develop anti-social behavior.

I have heard the arguments time and again, that some young people become more creative or get their inspiration when they smoke cannabis.

In other words, my appeal to you is simple. Youth is an important period in the human life cycle, a make or mar period, It could become a period of lost opportunities due to the use of illicit drugs. And it is a tragedy for any country whose youthful population is given to drug abuse.

Brig. Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa CON who clocked 71 last September is a retired Army Brigadier general, who has done a lot since he became as the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) since January 2021. He previously served as governor of Lagos State from 1996 to 1999 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar and Governor of Borno State from 1990 to 1992 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.

Marwa was born in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria to a scion of military family, his father, Buba Marwa, and grandfather, Buba Yola, had served in the Nigeria Army, and Marwa did not deviate from that path. He had his primary school education across Nigeria in Enugu, Zaria, Abeokuta and Lagos (1960–1965) and went on to attend the Nigerian Military School (NMS), Zaria (1966–1970). Subsequently, he completed a regular combatant course at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and was commissioned into Nigeria Army Recce Corps (NARC) in June 1973.

He was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army Reconnaissance Corps before moving to the Armoured Corp. He held various posts in the army, including Brigade Major (23 Armoured Brigade), Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma, academic registrar of the Nigerian Defense Academy and Deputy Defense Adviser in the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC. In 1990, he was appointed Governor of Borno State. In 1992, he became the defense adviser to the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the United Nations. He attended several trainings in Nigeria and abroad, such as:

Communication Instructors course, School of Armour Nowshera, Pakistan,

Regimental Signal Officers (RSO) course, Nigerian Army Signals School, Apapa,

RSO (All Arms), Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, Mhow, India,

Armour Officer Basic Course, Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA,

Advanced Armour Officers Course in the Armoured Corps Centre and School, Ahmadnagar, India.

Junior and Senior Staff College courses at Command and Staff College (CSC), Jaji.

General Marwa has two postgraduate degrees, namely Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh (1983–85) and Master of Public Administration from Harvard (1985–86).

His other qualifications include certificates in International Security Studies, Leadership and Organisational Innovation and Project Planning and Evaluation (PPE).

He has held several command and staff appointments in the Nigeria Army, including Deputy Defense Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC. By and large, he is renowned for his public administration acumen.

Appointed Military Governor of old Borno State (present Borno and Yobe states) from June 1990 to 1992, his administration had a far-reaching impact on the populace in diverse ways including in health care delivery, education and agriculture. Marwa created the first Ministry of Water Resources and by direct labour, the state undertook the construction of roads and completed the Maiduguri International Hotel.

The appointment of Gen Marwa as the administrator of Borno State coincided with the time Idriss Deby, erstwhile rebel, seized power from President Hisen Habre, thereby dislodging members of the Chadian Army, some of who went rogue and carried out raids across the border into Borno State. The marauders’ pillaging of towns, villages and communities, was not unlike Boko Haram’s.

In 1992, Gen Marwa was posted as Registrar of the Nigerian Defence Academy. And in 1993, he returned to foreign service as Defence Attache at the Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations in New York.

In August 1996, he was appointed Military Administrator of Lagos State. His 3-year tenure in the state was accompanied by strategic programmes. The feats were achieved on a strict budget of N14billion. Marwa, who did not borrow from any bank throughout his tenure, handed over a cash amount of N2billion¯the highest amount handed over from one state administration to another.

His exemplary leadership earned him “Nigeria’s Man of the Year 1997” by Newswatch, Nigeria’ oldest and influential weekly magazine.

From 1996 to 1999 Marwa was Military Governor of Lagos State. During his administration, he implemented programs such as “Operation 250 Roads” which greatly improved motoring conditions. He revamped public health institutions, and ensured that free malaria treatment that was available to all. His administration upgraded infrastructure in poor neighborhoods. He proclaimed an edict to regulate rents, stopping the “Jankara” method of eviction of tenants and ensuring that due process was followed.Marwa became well respected in Lagos because of “Operation Sweep”, a joint police and military venture that helped reduce Lagos’ notorious crime rate.

-Jumoke Aro