Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, retired Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, on Wednesday, declared that Nigeria can only defeat the growing burden of drug use and trafficking through a coordinated, “whole-of-government and whole-of-society” approach.
Marwa spoke in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the ongoing National Drug Use Summit themed “Addressing Illicit Drug Use and Trafficking: A Call to National Action”. The summit was jointly organized by NDLEA, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC.
According to Marwa, the summit was convened as a national platform for reflection and collective action, coming immediately after a weeklong World Drug Day programme.
“This intensity testifies to our shared commitment to confronting Nigeria’s evolving drug situation through coordinated, evidence-based and innovative action,” he said.
The NDLEA boss said despite the agency’s successes in recent years, the scale of the drug problem now requires the involvement of every sector.
“The scale of this challenge demands a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response, one that mobilises every stakeholder: government institutions, communities, families, development partners, the private sector, religious and traditional leaders, civil society and the media,” Marwa stated.
He described the summit as “both timely and necessary,” noting that it aligns with the global call for collaborative responses and offers Nigeria a chance to build consensus around a coordinated National Action Plan. The plan, he said, will strengthen prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, data collection, policy implementation and community resilience.
N1.5trn in drugs seized, 5,225 convictions in 18 months
Marwa reeled out NDLEA’s operational scorecard to buttress the need for stronger demand and supply reduction.
“On the supply reduction front, the Agency has recorded significant successes. Our operational feats in the last 18 months alone speak to this: a total of 29,262 arrests leading to the seizure of 5,305,484.88 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs valued at over N1.5 Trillion and the conviction of 5,225 offenders,” he said.
On demand reduction, Marwa said the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, campaign has been central to NDLEA’s strategy.
“Within the same period of 18 months, we have conducted 6,645 drug use prevention focused sensitization and awareness creation programmes in schools, worship centres, work places, markets, motor parks and communities, and correctional facilities, equipping nearly five million Nigerians with the life skills to resist drug abuse,” he stated.
He added that 13,508 drug users have also been counselled, treated and rehabilitated across NDLEA’s 31 rehab centres spread across the country.
The agency has also introduced a school-based Non-Punitive Drug Testing Policy and broadened access to counselling and treatment services.
Alternative livelihoods for cannabis farmers
Marwa disclosed another key initiative: the launch of the Alternative Development Initiative for cannabis sativa growers. The programme, he explained, is designed to support farmers to transition from illicit cultivation to cash crop production and other sustainable livelihoods.
“We remain steadfast in our mandate to combat this menace through a balanced and comprehensive approach,” Marwa said.
He expressed confidence that “through partnership, shared responsibility and sustained commitment, Nigeria can significantly reduce the burden of drug use and build a healthier, safer and more prosperous nation.”
The 3-day summit is expected to produce a draft National Action Plan to guide Nigeria’s drug control efforts going forward.