Abuja: President Bola Tinubu has approved the reappointment of retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for another five-year term, the presidency announced on Friday. Marwa, who was initially appointed in January 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, will continue to serve in this role until 2031.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the confirmation of Marwa’s reappointment was detailed in a statement issued by Presidential Spokesperson, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, in Abuja. Marwa, a former military governor of Lagos and Borno States, previously chaired the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse from 2018 to 2020, prior to leading the NDLEA.
An alumnus of the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy, Marwa was commissioned in 1973 and has served in numerous military and diplomatic roles, including Brigade Major and Aide-de-Camp to Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma. His career also includes positions such as Academic Registrar of the NDA, Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, and Defence Adviser to Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Marwa’s academic credentials include a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, underscoring his extensive training in governance and leadership.
Under Marwa’s leadership, the NDLEA has made significant strides, including the arrest of more than 73,000 drug offenders and the seizure of over 15 million kilogrammes of assorted hard drugs nationwide. The agency has also strengthened its campaigns against drug abuse, increasing public awareness and improving enforcement efforts to reduce the availability of illicit substances in Nigeria.
President Tinubu expressed confidence in Marwa’s efforts to combat drug trafficking and abuse, urging him to persist in his mission against drug merchants. ‘I urge you not to relent in tracking the merchants of hard drugs out to destroy our people, especially the young ones,’ the president stated, reaffirming his support for Marwa’s leadership at the NDLEA.