The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Maj-Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), on Wednesday, tendered unreserved apologies to families of officers and men of the agency who lost their lives while in active duty.
The NDLEA boss tendered the apologies while presenting a cheque of N163.4 million to families of 188 deceased officers who lost their lives in the course of their duties as burial expenses.
While apologising to the widows and families of the deceased officers and men for the late payment of the entitlements, Marwa said, “The best Nigeria and Nigerians can do to immortalise these late officers and men is for all to stand and join the fight against the twin evils of drug trafficking and drug abuse, the main cause for which these heroes laid down their lives.
“Although the last payment was in 2014, I would not want us to regard today’s event as a ‘once in a blue moon’ development. We are presently perfecting a process that will run seamlessly such that our personnel get their emoluments, allowances and other benefits as and when due.
“We are aware of the challenges in processing life insurance claims and pension benefits from Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs),” he said, adding that the agency had contact with Pension Administrators for early processing of claims.
For life insurance claims, Marwa said the agency has received 30 discharge vouchers for 2017 deaths and 10 discharge vouchers for 2020 deaths from the underwriters and brokers. By discharge vouchers, it means the claims are at the last stage of payment.
“I have also directed that the internal group personal accident insurance scheme be resuscitated for death, medical expenses, temporary and permanent disabilities,” he said.
The NDLEA he said, shall not abdicate its responsibility to its employees as it shall continue to reinvent the administrative processes to be responsive in an efficient and timely manner that will secure the future of its officers and men.
While acknowledging that fighting illicit drug trafficking and abuse is a tough job, not only in Nigeria but also globally, Gen. Marwa however said that the battle “is twice as dangerous due to the obvious reason that the drug abuse prevalence of our country is three times that of the global average.”
For him, “this precarious matrix did not deter our personnel from performing their duty of safeguarding society from the scourge of illicit substances.
“Even though there had been demoralising circumstances and there are distressing conditions that could dampen their will and zeal, the officers and men of the NDLEA neither abandon their duty nor lose their sense of responsibility to society.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his magnanimity and kind gesture in providing funds for the payment of burial expenses to families of officers who died in active service since 2014.
“It did not take long for the President to approve intervention fund for this purpose. It takes a lot for a leader like President Buhari to remember the people down below to give them their entitlement in the face of the daunting challenges facing the country,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the other widows, Mrs Khaltume Hassan Amali expressed appreciation to President Buhari for coming to the aid of NDLEA to enable the Agency to meet its obligations to the families of its deceased officers.
She commended the President for appointing a seasoned and excellent administrator as Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency. “We shall continue to pray to God to guide and protect you, your officers and men as you strive to move the Agency to greater heights. We are also grateful to you for ensuring that the widows and children of deceased officers do not suffer injustice,” she added.
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