Few days back, the  chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd)  said that the task to keep modern societies safe from the scourge of illicit drugs demands global commitment, even as he assured that Nigeria is doing everything possible to fulfil its own end of the bargain.

The charismatic Adamawa born General Marwa stated this weekend while addressing a gathering of academics, students, mental health professionals and Nigerians in diaspora at the Jayhawk Welcome Centre, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, US where he delivered a lecture on “War Against Substance Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking: The Nigerian Story” during the 2023 edition of the Marwa Africana Lecture Series established and organized annually since 2003 by the Department of African and African-American Studies of the University of Kansas.

While reliving the Nigerian experience in the fight against the global drug scourge, the NDLEA boss said “we have been able to keep huge cache of drugs from getting into our streets by seizing them at the border or before distribution courtesy of intelligence sharing with our counterparts in source countries or along the transnational routes.”

According to him, “For some 33 months now, Nigeria has run an unflagging anti-illicit drug campaign based on global best practices for drug law enforcement and guided by UNODC’s Whole-of-Society approach to the drug conundrum.

“While we have achieved remarkable mileage, the Nigerian anti-drug campaign is nonetheless a work in progress. Be that as it may, our achievements of the past 30 months, relative to the past 30 years, have bolstered our hope of greater accomplishments going forward.

The support from international partners, governments of friendly countries, the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Nigerian people has strengthened our conviction that the objective we pursue is not unrealistic. Now we have before us an open vista where the objective of a drug-free society is a possibility.

“The task of keeping modern society safe from the scourge of illicit drugs requires a global commitment, and in NDLEA and Nigeria, we are doing everything possible to fulfil our end of the bargain.”

He said the choice of words for the campaign against illicit drugs in Nigeria “is a metaphor that is reflective of the need for drastic steps against a brewing illicit drug apocalypse.” He added that “War on drugs” within the Nigerian context connotes the severity of the situation as an existentialist threat to the Nigerian nation and the urgency and intensity of action required to bring the situation under control, adding that the campaign, is however, being conducted in accordance with global best practice.”

Marwa further told the gathering some of the strategic steps taken to get positive results by NDLEA. “In every facet of our activities, we endeavoured to adopt innovation. We upgraded our Standard Operating Procedures. We innovated our methodologies, adopted sophisticated tools and systems, and embraced revolutionary paradigms in treatment.

“For instance, to break the jinx of barriers to treatment, NDLEA commissioned a drug abuse tele-therapy centre. This toll-free call centre has a round-the-clock helpdesk to which drug users, their families, and associates can call for assistance, and receive prompt attention from a team of counsellors and mental health professionals.

“The UN conventions encouraged law enforcement agencies in different countries to work in collaboration. We exploit the opportunities maximally by renewing and strengthening our ties with our international partners, such as INL and DEA here in the United States; Narcotics Control Bureau of India; the UK Border Force, and NCA; Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt, and the French Police, among others.”

The lecture was followed an interactive session during which Marwa answered questions asked by members of the audience especially Nigerians who expressed happiness about efforts being made by the Nigerian government to curtail drug scourge.

Others who spoke at the event include: Dr. Shawn Leigh Alexander, Professor and Chair, Department of African and African-American Studies; Dr. Peter Ukpokodu, a Professor of African and African-American Studies; Dr. Dorthy Pennington, also a Professor of African and African-American Studies and Dr. Amal El Haimeur, Assistant Professor of African and African-American Studies, all of University of Kansas. They commended Marwa for his leadership skills and commitment to Nigeria and humanity.

Earlier, the chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) had emphasized that the NDLEA under his able leadership is planning alternative development strategies that will take drug cartels out of business and protect the environment from the damaging effects of illicit drug cultivation and production.

The NDLEA boss stated this while outlining efforts by Nigeria to curb the menace of substance abuse and illicit drug production and trafficking in his presentation at the third committee session of the ongoing 78th United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, in New York, USA on Monday 2nd October.

According to him, “Cartels involved in illicit drug cultivation are causing deforestation, resulting in environmental degradation. In search of a lasting solution, we are working to implement an alternative development plan. This will provide cannabis farmers with better options, like agricultural loans and improved seedlings. The increasing online activities of drug traffickers, particularly on the dark web, after the COVID-19 pandemic have become a great source of concern. This will require collaboration and capacity-building to neutralize the growing threat. Nigeria is also strengthening its legal framework through on-going amendments to relevant drug laws.

“Our bilateral and multilateral cooperation efforts have been expanded through the signing and renewal of memoranda of understanding with countries and agencies. This has helped to deepen intelligence sharing, exchange programmes, joint operations, and capacity building, among others.”

Marwa said the Nigeria’s premier anti-narcotics agency will continue to identify gaps and build bridges, both in dismantling drug trafficking cartels and providing access to treatment and counselling services. “More policies to protect vulnerable groups such as women, children, and displaced persons will be implemented. To maintain a clear lead over drug trafficking groups, we will continue to engage in thoughtful regulations and targeted strategic law enforcement that are intelligence-led and human rights-centred.  We will also leverage stakeholder collaboration as we make progress in the implementation of the SDGs. No stone must be left unturned, and no community, group, or individual must be left behind. We must extend the fight against drugs on all fronts and ensure that our communities are safe, healthy, and peaceful”, he told the global gathering.

He added that Nigeria is adopting a whole-of-society approach to countering the challenges of drug trafficking in line with the 2030 SDG agenda, which seeks to promote the rule of law, health, peace, and justice. “Therefore, while ramping up law enforcement efforts to halt the illicit supply of drugs, we are equally promoting evidence-based drug prevention, treatment, and care programmes.”

While stating that Nigeria is concentrating efforts on mitigating the challenges of narcotic drugs, he declared that “the drug demand reduction strategies are also helping to address the problem of stigmatization and discrimination against people with drug use disorders. This includes the introduction of a 24/7 toll-free call centre where people can call from the comfort of their homes to access quality counselling, treatment, and care.”

“Remarkable progress has also been made in early prevention programmes in schools and communities. This is in accordance with SDG 3, which seeks to promote good health and well-being. One of the approaches is to build the capacity of young people and provide them with the basic coping skills they need to succeed in life. The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the MTN Foundation, is promoting the Unplugged Drug Programme in schools.

“I am glad to inform that the implementation of the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) 2021–2025 is in its third year. This is Nigeria’s strategic document for addressing the world drug problem. One of its advantages is the involvement of stakeholders at all levels of government. The master plan provides a multi-agency intelligence-led model that is aimed at disrupting drug trafficking cartels and targeting illicit drug assets and wealth.

“In addition to the NDCMP, there is the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign, which provides stakeholders with a platform to promote anti-drug abuse enlightenment efforts. With this development, we have given equal opportunity to drug demand reduction and drug supply reduction efforts. The active participation of non-governmental organizations and civil society groups has raised awareness among various groups, including traditional rulers, students, opinion leaders, and religious leaders about the dangers of drug abuse and the need to address it.”

As soon as this noble goal was publicised in the media courtesy of the activist media director of the NDLEA, a consummate professional journalist Mr. FEMI BABAFEMI, my organisation- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) met and deliberated on this good piece of information and the generality of the members of HURIWA that turned up at the meeting in Onitsha, Anambra State, South East of Nigeria, adopted the methodology and applauded the NDLEA for conceiving such an innovative idea of how best to combat hard drugs bearing in mind the need to mitigate the severe threats that planting of seedlings that produce some of the deadliest opium has done to the ecosystem and the health of the environment. We at the level of the civil rights advocacy group, accepted that this step will surely contribute to finding sustainable solutions to the consequences of climate change.

This is because the cultivation and production of hard drugs like cocaine, Indian hemp, and opium have long been a global concern, particularly in regions where drug cartels have thrived and local communities have relied on these crops for their livelihoods.