NIGERIA was in the limelight as it hosted 54 other African nations during the 31st Meeting of the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies in Africa (HONLAF) and 15 observer countries in Abuja. Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was the chair of the conference where African countries and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) deliberate on wide-ranging topics on trends in illicit drugs trafficking on the continent. The conference showed another facet of Nigeria’s leadership on the continent. While this is Nigeria’s third time hosting the HONLAF, the 31st edition being hosted at this time is proof of trust in the new leadership of the NDLEA and the transformation that has taken place in the past 26 months.
The NDLEA under Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) has, as of September 2023, arrested 32,922 drug traffickers and dealers, among them 38 drug barons. The agency has seized 6,286 tons of illicit drug substances including variants of cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine and other forms of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). Just as well cash and drugs worth more than N565 billion were also seized within the time frame of January 2015 to June 2023. For the first time, Nigeria’s anti-narcotic effort is leaving a big dent on the drug underworld with 5, 495 convictions in court already recorded while 11,166 other cases are in various stages in the court. In other areas, such as counselling and rehabilitation, where the agency recorded not less than 23, 833 persons, and in the the destruction of 878 hectares of cannabis farms, NDLEA have achieved remarkable results.
HONLAF is another testimony that NDLEA’s effort is being recognised beyond the shores of this country. This should be a motivation for Nigerian citizens to support NDLEA’s quest to safeguard the health of our society against illicit substances. It is heartening to hear our government give its commitment to the fight against illicit substances . Vice President Kashim Shettima, who delivered President Bola Tinubu’s address at the opening ceremony, stated that commitment to the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse is not just a matter of policy but a moral imperative. “We recognise that a population at war with drugs is not a dividend but a liability. We believe that the future of our youth, the strength of our institutions, and the well-being of our communities depend on our ability to eradicate this threat,” he had stated.
The government’s expresed commitment is a cue for the citizenry to follow suit. If anything, the HONLAF should further impress the Nigerian populace with the seriousness that must be accorded to the fight against the drug scourge. The gathering of heads of anti-narcotics organisations in Nigeria this week have shown that it is a problem that every country on the continent is grappling with We must rally round NDLEA to sustain the momentum so that our country will not be left behind but continue to take the front seat in securing our country and the continent at large.
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