Personality in Focus
The Problem of Drugs in Nigeria is Enormous, But Marwa is Tackling Them – Femi Babafemi
Since January 2021, when the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) came under the leadership of Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) as the new Chairman/CEO, the agency has received a new burst of life. The number of arrests and drug seizures that were made in the past eight months has probably never been made in the past 30 years of existence of the security agency. With more than two million kg of illicit drugs seized, 5000 drug traffickers arrested and over 500 convictions, the former Military Administrator of Lagos state have proven that he is the round peg in the round hole when it comes to fighting drug crimes. He has also affirmed the confidence reposed on him by the President Muhammadu Buhari who gave him the job.
It will be recalled that until his appointment early January 2021, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd) was the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse (PACEDA) spanning 2018 – 2020. This position probably allowed the retired Army General to have an on-the-spot assessment of the decadence which has eaten deep into the fabric of the nation. The country is said to have 15 million citizens abusing drugs.
In his exclusive interview with the National President of National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), SAMSON OKI, in his Abuja office, the Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Mr. Femi Babafemi disclosed more on the performance and potentials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). He spoke on the role that parents and the general public can play so that the country can cut the rate of drug abuse and addiction.
NAOSNP: The NDLEA has received new life under the leadership of Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd). Tell us ‘how has he been able to bring about this new reality’?
Femi Babafemi: With the coming of Gen. Marwa January of this year, it has changed a lot of things on ground in NDLEA and the best way to show this is to give an overview of what is being happening between January and now, either in the area of operations, administration, or two major plans of the agency which is drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction.
Talking about drug supply reduction, the agency has for the past 5-6 months arrested over 5000 drug traffickers from whom more than 2 million kg of drugs have been seized. Out of this arrest, we have had more than 500 convicted in court. We have 3000 still facing charges.
As I speak with you, we have counseled, rehabilitated, and reintegrated back into the society a total of 2,772 of those that abuse drugs. What this shows is a fair balance between efforts on drug demand reduction and drug supply reduction.
In the area of drug demand reduction, we are also advocating that people should undergo drug test. This is basically to ensure that those that are not yet on drugs are prevented from going on drugs and those that have started to make sure that they are discovered early and treated because the earlier we discover, the better for you because you can seek treatment.
This is why the Chairman has been advocating drug test for intending couples, students – fresher and returning, those seeking public office, workers, so that we can save quite a number of people from slipping into the cycle of drug abuse. Approximately 15 million Nigerians are abusing drug in the country.
NAOSNP: How have you been able to keep the officers and men of the NDLEA motivated for this task?
Femi Babafemi: In the areas of administration, the new leadership met a number of issues on ground. One of them is the issue of career stagnation of officers and men and that was why one of the first things that the Chairman did was to set up a Harmonization Committee and the result of that was promotion of 3506 officers of the agency which is about 70% of the workforce. As I speak with you, there are efforts on that regard as another committee is sitting on how to resolve the issue of harmonization of ranks and promotion of officers and men. We also talk of some of the liabilities met on ground in terms of payment of entitlement to officers and men and death and burial expense to families of deceased officers. Efforts are ongoing and by tomorrow, families of 188 deceased officers will be paid their burial entitlement that has been hanging since 2014/15.
All of these are been done by the leadership to motivate and encourage officers to do their work. That is why today, you will see everyday arrests and seizures at the seaport, airport, land borders, on the roads and across the country. What we do give out in our statement to the public is probably 0.1% of the figure of our arrests and seizures because we don’t want to bore the public. We just pick a few of what we think are a representative of the work of the agency so as to get the people informed.
We are glad that Nigerians now know the enormity of the problem of drugs in our country. The agency is not relenting yet because the agency has the support of the President, the highest authority in the country who is supporting the Chairman in every way possible and that is why we are going all out.
NAOSNP: In Nigeria, we have the issue of ‘crime fighting back when it is been tackled’, what are you doing to ensure that criminals don’t attack your men and officers?
Femi Babafemi: The work of the agency is intelligence-based. One of the things that the Chairman has done is to strengthen our Directorate of Intelligence to make them proactive, to make them respond to threats, but beyond that he has also created an Elite Strike Force which are well-trained, heavily armed, and is headed by a Director.
These are part of the things that the Chairman is doing to reinforce the confidence of the officers when they are going for operations and again to protect and secure vital installation and premises of the agency as well as other officers in their various assignments.
NAOSNP: In Nigeria, we have the issue of ‘strong men but not-strong institutions’, Nigerians are hopeful that this giant strides will not end with the tenure of Brig. Gen. Marwa, what are you putting in place to ensure that NDLEA will continue to be a strong institution beyond now?
Femi Babafemi: This is one of the things we are hoping that will happen. That is why whatever is being done now is building solid and strong structures for an institution that is already over 30 years old. There is quite a lot of concerted efforts been put in place to build strong structure for the agency so that whoever is going to come after him will have something solid to build on.
NAOSNP: Talking about the incessant rate of addiction among youths, how do we nip it in the bud?
Femi Babafemi: There are quite a number of factors responsible for this and I tell you that the consciousness is there now because of the volume of arrests and seizures. Prior to January, we didn’t realize it but the problem had been there. But because we are hearing of arrests and seizures know that is why everyone is surprised that the issue is this much.
Quite a number of factors are responsible. One of them is poor parenting because for every problem, there is a root in the family level. And for the solution also, it must also start from the family level. When parents abdicate their responsibility to bring up their children, for example, a parent sending children to bring alcohol or drugs is indirectly encouraging the child to take the same thing.
Some parents also don’t bother when they see changes in the attitude of their children. For instance, if your kids that you usually watch TV together is withdrawn into the room and you are not bothered to ask questions. When your child is avoiding eye contact with you meaning he is trying to prevent you from checking the redness of his eyes or hide something from you. Or suddenly your children start moving in the company of strange fellows. These are red flags that parents overlook to find out what is wrong and by the time they know, the kids are neck deep into drugs.
We also have the issue of peer pressure. They want to try what their friends do. Social media influence is another. When they see what celebrities do, yet some of them may just be doing it for the sake of the arts performance, some of these young ones go and try it and that is how we have a generation of addicts.
Then, we cannot run away from socioeconomic issues that lead people into drug abuse and addiction. They take drugs to forget their sorrows but drugs will only give relief for hours but at the end when the drugs wear out, the problem is still there. Why do you have to compound your problem because the drug will affect your physical health? Some may even affect mental health.
NAOSNP: What more are you doing to end the scourge?
Femi Babafemi: Fortunately, we are not folding our arms. We are doing as much as possible to cut access to these drugs. That’s why you see the volume of drugs that we are mopping up from the streets. We are even destroying the farms and those concealed inside the forests. By the grace of God and with the people buying-in and taking ownership of the fight, it will be much easier to win that leaving it alone for NDLEA. We believe that we may all end up as victims if we don’t all join hands to make sure that we rid our homes, communities, and country of this scourge.
The Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim, has commiserated with the family of late Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (retd) on the death of the former military administrator.
In a condolence statement signed by the Minister himself, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), Senator Gaidam lauded the fallen soldier, saying that his contributions to nation building will not be forgotten.
Olubolade died in the early hours of Monday, May 12, 2025.
Below is the detailed message:
LETTER OF CONDOLENCE TO THE FAMILY OF THE LATE NAVY CAPTAIN CALEB OLUBOLADE (RTD)
I, the Honourable Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidami, offer condolences to the people and government of Nigeria, especially the Olubolade family, on the death of former Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (Rtd), who died today.
The Ministry and Police community share this moment of grief and sorrow with the family, the people of the state, and the entire country. When offering condolences to a statesman, it is important to acknowledge the significance of his contributions and the impact of his passing on the nation.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of a true leader and dedicated servant to our nation. His legacy will live on through his tireless efforts and commitment to the people. This is a profound loss for our country. Captain Olubolade’s dedication to public service and his unwavering commitment to the security sector will be remembered.
Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the passing of a statesman who served with honor and integrity. May his spirit of leadership inspire generations to come.
In this time of grief, we offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Olukayode. His contributions to our nation will not be forgotten.
A Board Member of Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Ayo Ogunsan, has been honoured with membership status of the Centre for African Social and Economic Transformation (CASET), University of the West of England, United Kingdom.
The recognition is coming on the heels of Ogunsan’s indefatigable commitment and unrelenting advocacy and support for quality education across all levels.
Dr. Ogunsan’s unflinching interest in education glaringly shows in his active participation as Board Member of Center for Digital Humanities (CEDHUL) in Nigeria’s frontline university, University of Lagos; as Chairman of AKEM Foundation, a nonprofit which has provided millions of naira within two (2) years to support schools and NGOs who provide education access for free to children in underserved communities in Nigeria; and in several individual sponsorships to ensure that the future is brighter for children. His personal story of prominence polished out of adversity continues to propel him forward.
This commitment is well-captured in the letter of Jo Midgley, the Deputy Vice Chancellor and the Registrar of the University of the West of England, UK who communicated the news of the appointment to the advisory board.
The academic, Jo Midgley highlighted about Dr. Ogunsan, ‘Your extensive experience and contributions to Africa’s higher education sector through training university leaders and teaching personnel, as well as your Board Membership of the Centre for Digital Humanities at the University of Lagos, Nigeria will make you an invaluable member of our CASET’s Advisory Board.’
‘As a Board member, you will play a crucial role in shaping CASET’s strategic direction, providing high-level support and guidance on stakeholder engagement strategies and knowledge dissemination efforts, helping to foster impactful collaborations and partnerships, and ensuring that the Centre’s initiatives align with the evolving needs of Africa’s social and economic landscape’, the letter stated about the expectations for the technocrat Ogunsan.
The higher institution, University of the West of England, United Kingdom also added the reason for appointing Dr. Ayo Ogunsan as Member of the Advisory Board of our Centre for African Social and Economic Transformation (CASET). They noted that they are guided by the University’s ethos of enterprise and collaboration, thus ‘the Centre is dedicated to empowering individuals and communities in Africa through strategic partnerships and transformative education and training programmes, research, evidence-based policymaking, social and cultural engagement geared towards finding practical solutions to regional social and economic challenges.’
‘We will be honoured to have you as part of our highly respected and esteemed group of experts and thought leaders.’
Midgley added that the Advisory Board convenes annually, with meetings held virtually and occasionally in person at the University of the West of England UK or in Africa where feasible.
He noted that Ogunsan’s insights and participation would be instrumental in helping CASET to achieve its mission of fostering transformative social and economic change through capacity building, research priorities, evidence-based policy and innovation.
The Registral said that Advisory Board Members were not employees of the University including CASET adding that his term as a board member would commence in June 2025 and run for a renewable period of three years on a non-remuneration basis.
“Renewal of board membership is subject to members’ continuing support, integrity and commitment to always being a good ambassador in advancing CASET’s mission.
“We will be honoured to have you as part of our highly respected and esteemed group of experts and thought leaders.
“We also appreciate your willingness to contribute to our mission and look forward to your valuable contribution to advancing CASET’s vision for transformative change in Africa,” he said in the letter.
It was gathered that Ogunasn is a prominent figure in the education sector, his expertise spans entrepreneurs hip, security management, and education, and he is widely acknowledged for his visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence.
Source: Trek Africa
Robert Francis Prevost, the first pope from the United States, has a history of missionary work in Peru but also a keen grasp of the inner workings of the Church.
The new Leo XIV, a Chicago native, was entrusted by his predecessor Francis, to head the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, charged with advising the pontiff on new bishop appointments.
The sign of confidence from Francis speaks to Prevost’s commitment as a missionary in Peru to the “peripheries” – overlooked areas far from Rome prioritised by Francis – and his reputation as a bridge-builder and moderate within the Curia.
The 69-year-old Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo, Peru, was made a cardinal by Francis in 2023 after being named Prefect of the Dicastery, one of the Vatican’s most important departments — and a post that introduced him to all key players in the Church.
Vatican watchers had given Prevost the highest chances among the group of US cardinals of being pope, given his pastoral bent, global view and ability to navigate the central bureaucracy.
Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, called him “the least American of the Americans” for his soft-spoken touch.
His strong grounding in canon law has also been seen as reassuring to more conservative cardinals seeking a greater focus on Theology.
Following Francis’s death, Prevost said there was “still so much to do” in the work of the Church.
“We can’t stop, we can’t turn back. We have to see how the Holy Spirit wants the Church to be today and tomorrow, because today’s world, in which the Church lives, is not the same as the world of ten or 20 years ago,” he told Vatican News last month.
“The message is always the same: proclaim Jesus Christ, proclaim the Gospel, but the way to reach today’s people, young people, the poor, politicians, is different,” he said.
Born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Prevost attended a Minor Seminary of the Order of St Augustine in St Louis as a novice before graduating from Philadelphia’s Villanova University, an Augustinian institution, with a degree in Mathematics.
After receiving a masters degree in divinity from Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union in 1982, and a doctorate decree in canon law in Rome, the polyglot joined the Augustinians in Peru in 1985 for the first of his decade-long missions in that country.
Returning to Chicago in 1999, he was made provincial prior of the Augustinians in the US Midwest and later the prior general of the order throughout the world.
But he returned to Peru in 2014 when Francis appointed him as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in the country’s north.
Nearly a decade later, Prevost’s appointment in 2023 as head of the Dicastery came after Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet was accused of sexually assaulting a woman and resigned for age reasons.
The Vatican later dropped the case against Ouellet for insufficient evidence.
Prevost also serves as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
