Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) has said, the agency 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.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi said Marwa stated this while outlining efforts by Nigeria to curb the menace of substance abuse, 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, October 2, 2023.
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”.
He said Nigeria is also strengthening its legal framework through ongoing 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 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 and 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”, he said and further stated that Nigeria is concentrating efforts on mitigating the challenges of narcotic drugs.
According to Marwa, “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.”
The NDLEA boss said, remarkable progress has also been made in early prevention programmes in schools and communities, in accordance with SDG 3, which seeks to promote good health and well-being. He disclosed that the Agency, in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the MTN Foundation, is promoting the Unplugged Drug Programme in schools.
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