Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa have expressed hope that the recent amendment of the NDLEA Act by the National Assembly will bolster Nigeria’s drug control efforts when eventually signed by President Bola Tinubu.

They stated this in their remarks during the opening ceremony of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drug Control meeting in Abuja.

According to the minister who delivered the keynote address, “In the past four years, we have witnessed unprecedented efforts by the NDLEA.

He said the achievements include arrests and seizures, convictions, elaborate evidence-based drug demand reduction interventions, using the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy platform to sensitisse communities on the dangers of drug abuse.

In his words, Consistent gains have been recorded within the global space, by fostering international cooperation and building strong partnerships.

According to him, NDLEA has sustained the fight with renewed energy and vigour, giving hope to the once hopeless situation.

He said the Federal Ministry of Justice has worked together with the NDLEA to ensure that national legal system effectively supports the drug control efforts of the agency.

Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria said they are at the last lap of finalising the amendment of the NDLEA Act, which will significantly enhance the organisational capability of the agency to control the menace of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.

He said the Ministry is also providing appropriate support in the area of proceeds of crime management, essential to dismantling the financial networks of drug traffickers.

While acknowledging the contributions of other law enforcement agencies and stakeholders to the country’s drug control efforts, the minister who spoke  through the Director, Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Abubakar, noted that “the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee has been crucial in coordinating a whole-of-government approach to the top burner issue.

He said this is by bringing together critical stakeholders to develop and implement more comprehensive and balanced strategies, applying the collaborative spirit which the NDCMP promotes.

Fagbemi commended state governments that have established their own drug control committees and the civil society organisations working at the community levels to ensure more holistic outcomes.

He charged the gathering to expand prevention programmes to address the root causes of drug abuse, targeting the youths, women, the vulnerable and marginalised persons in communities.

According to him, let leave this meeting with renewed commitment to protecting youth, secure communities, and build a healthier, safer Nigeria for generations to come.

He said the commitment made by NDLEA, the IMC and other stakeholders, holds the promise for a drug-free Nigeria.

In his welcome remarks, Marwa said despite the funding challenges that affected the full implementation of the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP 2021–2025), the Agency remained undeterred in the pursuit of its goal.

According to him, Instead, the Agency stay resolute, drawing strength from shared vision, commitment, and collective responsibility to overcome this limitation.

In his words, the Amended Act has been passed by the National Assembly and is currently awaiting Presidential assent.

Marwa charged all stakeholders to redouble their efforts, renew energy and resolve to deliver the impact and value needed to confront Nigeria’s evolving and drug challenges.

Let us bring our voices, passion, and optimism to bear in our deliberations. May we remain open and forthright in pursuit of our shared goal: the enhancement of health and security for all residents of Nigeria, in line with the aspirations of the NDCMP 2021–2025.”

Assessing major programmes implemented across the strategic pillars of the NDCMP in 2023 and 2024, Marwa said confirm that they have collectively made commendable progress on the Fourth National Action Plan, in comparison with previous iterations.

Under the Supply Reduction pillar, he said their operational efforts and strategic offensives led to the arrest of 31,334 drug offenders, of whom 6,839 were convicted.

We also recorded the seizure of 4,333,636.9 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs and undertook the destruction of 426.46724 hectares of cannabis farms.
“Under the Drug Demand Reduction strategic pillar, we provided counselling and rehabilitation services to 19,033 individuals.

By accelerating our WADA sensitisation activities across states, local government areas, wards, and communities, we have been able to intentionally disseminate awareness of the dangers of drug abuse to diverse population groups.

This has, in turn, fostered a sense of shared ownership and collective commitment in the national effort to curb substance abuse, trafficking, and proliferation across the country.”

Also speaking at the ceremony, UNODC Country Representative, Cheikh Ousmane Toure represented by Dr. Akani Ibanga said Nigeria stands at the crossroads of public health and security sector when it comes to the drug response, adding that “the urgency of the mission that we have today cannot be overstated. Drug use, as we know, is associated with various things from health to safety to productivity to cohesion and, in fact, to how we respond at the level of our community.”

Tasking the gathering, he said “as we gather, we must be guided with data, and I’m glad how the chairman has, detailed the responses that have gone on in the different sectors, both in terms of supply reduction, demand reduction, and when it has to do with access to medications. And I think that where we have a country where at least three million people are said to be suffering from drug use disorder, when we did this calculation and you have 39.5 million in the world, that means we’re contributing 7.5 percent to that data as a country. That’s worrisome, and it calls for us to continue in this last leg of implementing the NDCMP to ensure that we are able to follow through with all the commitments that the drug control master plan have laid out for us to do, that we may address these issues that we face.