When General Buba Marwa was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on January 15, 2021, many did not give him a chance of success.
They felt he would not be able to win the fight against drugs. They underrated his capacity.
Saddled with the task of revamping the country’s anti-narcotics agency and leading a potent and efficient campaign to curb the abuse and trafficking of illicit substances in Nigeria, Marwa hit the ground running.
He executed a major reform of NDLEA, leading to the expansion of the Agency and a radical shift to intelligence-based operations.
He began his days in office with the launch of Offensive Action, a ramp-up drug supply reduction action that translates to relentless tracking, arrest and conviction of drug traffickers.
In 20 months, NDLEA recorded unprecedented results:
● 18,940 arrests (including 12 drug barons)
● 2, 904 convictions
● 3.6 million kilograms of drugs seized
He also launched one of the biggest advocacy campaigns in Nigeria, War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) and got governments and corporate organisations committed to building more treatment and rehabilitation centres.
On June 30, 2022, he successfully launched a Drug Addiction Call Centre with a 24/7 helpline that connects callers with counsellors and mental health professionals.
Similarly, the Agency’s drug demand reduction effort under him has been hailed as revolutionary, as over 12,326 drug users were counselled and rehabilitated in 20 months.
His success at turning around the fortune of NDLEA in a short period to become an efficient Drug Law Enforcement organisation has earned him several awards from the Nigerian media including:
● Excellence in Public Service (BusinessDay Newspaper)
● 2021 Man of the Year (Champion newspaper)
● 2021 Government Agency of the Year (Leadership newspaper)
● Public Servant of the Year (Daily Asset newspaper)
● Man of the Year 2021 (Our Nigeria news magazine)
● Special Achievement Award 2021 (Silverbird TV)
● Independent TV (ITV) Public Service Award 2021
● Exemplary Leader Award (NewsDirect newspaper)
● Public Service Award 2021 (The Sun newspaper)
● Good Governance Public Servant of the Year 2021 (CSR Reporters)
● Outstanding Role Model in Fight Against Drugs and Substances (TMNews Summit)
● Public Service of the Year Award (Bluprint newspaper), among others.
It is to celebrate this man who has made a mark in Nigeria’s fight against drugs that CityPeople is honouring him at its forthcoming CityPeople Awards for Excellence set to hold in Lagos on Sunday 30th October 2022.
Kudos to him.
Send Us News, Gist, more... to citypeopleng@gmail.com | Twitter: @CitypeopleMagz
