President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a fresh five-year mandate for Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) to continue as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), signalling sustained confidence in his leadership of the nation’s anti-narcotics war.
The announcement was contained in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Friday. The President commended Marwa’s record, noting that his reappointment reflects the administration’s trust in his “onerous efforts to rid the country of the menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse.”
He urged the NDLEA boss to intensify the clampdown on drug syndicates operating across the country, stressing the need to shield young Nigerians from the grip of illicit substances.
Marwa, first appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021, previously chaired the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse between 2018 and 2020. His renewed term stretches his stewardship of the NDLEA until 2031.
The Adamawa-born retired military officer brings a storied résumé to the role. A graduate of the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1973 and went on to serve in several strategic military postings, including brigade major of the 23 Armoured Brigade and Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Army Staff. He also held diplomatic defence roles in Washington, DC, and at Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Marwa’s academic credentials include postgraduate degrees in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.
Under his leadership, the NDLEA has heightened its operational tempo, recording the arrest of more than 73,000 drug traffickers and the seizure of over 15 million kilogrammes of narcotics. He has also driven nationwide campaigns aimed at reducing drug abuse and promoting behavioural change.
