Buba Marwa, redefining Nigerians Drug War With NDLEA

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is a Federal agency in Nigeria charged with eliminating the growing, processing, manufacturing, selling, exporting, and trafficking of hard drugs. The agency was established by Decree Number 48 of 1989.

This decree has since been replaced with an Act of Parliament, which has widened the scope of its operations, but with the same purpose as the decree which is aimed at exterminating illicit drug trafficking and consumption in the Nigerian society. It is a well-known fact that any involvement in drugs, especially their importation, exportation, sale, transfer, purchase, cultivation, manufacture, extraction, and possession is universally unacceptable. Therefore, it was a step in the right direction to have such an agency domiciled in Nigeria as well.

The NDLEA is present in all Nigerian international airports, seaports, and border crossings. Over the years since it was established, it has tried to eradicate cannabis by destroying plantings. The NDLEA also targets the leaders of narcotics and money laundering organizations who are directly or indirectly involved in the manufacturing, cultivation, importation, and distribution of such illicit drugs.

The agency did record some success stories in its early formative years in its drug war partly due to the desire of the then military government to protect the nation from being used by international drugs barons as either a destination point of sells or as a trade route since it is a well-known fact that drug business is a business that comes with violence and killing, the reason why it first set of staff were basically drawn from the police, army, and other security organs.

However, as time went on the agency had to train its own staff and workers who took over from the formative staff. They too took the war against drugs as a serious affair, recording various levels of success regardless of the working conditions, they pushed the boundaries even to the point of losing their lives.

With morals low, low budget, bad working conditions, and lack of proper equipment to work with, there is very little these guys can do especially against drug lords who have money to buy their way out of any situation, not to mention the fact that they can spend any amount to protect their businesses.

This is the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) that its current Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa inherited when he was appointed in January 2021 by President Muhammadu Buhari. This is one appointment that got the approval of most Nigerians because of the appointee’s track record of performers during his day as a military officer who found himself in public office.

Marwa is a retired Nigerian Army Brigadier General who also served as Governor of Borno State during the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida and Governor of Lagos State during the military administration of General Sani Abacha.

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 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”, joint police and military venture that helped reduce Lagos’ notorious crime rate. In May 1998, he imposed a successful fuel rationing program in Lagos State in an attempt to tackle petrol shortages and reduce chronic queuing at petrol stations, and in July 1998, Marwa opened a new asphalt plant in Lagos, the largest in Nigeria which has since been helpful in the nation’s road construction.

After retiring from the Nigerian army at the end of his term as Lagos State governor, Marwa founded Albarka Airlines and the Buba Marwa Endowment, he was to later step down as the chairman of the airlines which also closed down its activities soon after. In December 2006, Marwa had announced he would be running in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primaries to become the party’s candidate for President of Nigeria. His bid was unsuccessful, and he gave his support to Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who went on to become president.

In 2007 he was appointed Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa. In 2011, he became the gubernatorial candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC for Adamawa state, and lost. This was the last time his name appeared on the ballot paper again.

Having taken over fully, Marwa set out to take the drug war to another level by boosting the morals of the working staff. With a vision and mission saying “ To become the most proactive and leading Drug Law Enforcement Agency on the African Continent and one of the best in the world through the provision of effective and efficient services to Nigerians by cutting off the supply of illicit drugs, reducing the demand for illicit drugs and other substances of abuse, tracing and recovering drug-related proceeds and contributing to the creation and maintenance of an enviable image for the Nation throughout the world.”

While the mission statement says, “The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency shall deploy all resources at its disposal for the total eradication of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; suppression of demand for illicit drugs and other substances of abuse; recovery of ill-gotten wealth, acquired from proceeds of illicit drug trade, protection, enhancement and maintenance of the image of Nigeria and Nigerians at home and abroad.”

The Chairman was able to return confidence back to the workers, and the result stunned Nigerians with many asking how did it happen, because the nation’s airport, seaport, and landed borders have once again become no go areas for international drug traffickers. For those who felt they have been able to beat the system and get their drugs into the country, the internal land boundaries have become a difficult way to navigate as NDLEA staff have been able to fish them out and stop them in their tracks. The recent case of two women in hijab convoying drugs who were arrested comes to mind.

The fact that NDLEA has been turned around by this quintessential, detribalised Nigerian who happens to be a rare bread with little or nothing is a pointer to us as Nigerians as to what we can achieve if we can lay down our differences and work together.

One can only hope and pray that Marwa and his staff at NDLEA will push harder and rid the nation of these evil drugs and their carriers while also praying that history and posterity will be fair when the name Mohamed Buba Marwa is called.