By Gabriel Ameh, The Sight News
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the reappointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), extending his leadership of the agency for an additional five-year term.
Marwa, who was first appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021, previously served as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse (2018–2020). His renewed term will see him continue to lead the NDLEA until 2031, a statement by the NDLEA Spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi noted.
A distinguished military officer, Marwa is a former military governor of Lagos and Borno States. He attended the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), after which he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1973. His career includes notable roles such as Brigade Major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp to then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma, and Academic Registrar of the NDA. He also served as Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and later as Defence Adviser to Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Marwa holds two postgraduate degrees: a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.
His tenure at the NDLEA has been marked by major achievements, including the arrests of over 73,000 drug traffickers and barons and the seizure of more than 15 million kilograms of illicit drugs. He has also championed nationwide anti-drug campaigns aimed at reducing substance abuse across the country.
Commending Marwa’s service, President Tinubu described the reappointment as an affirmation of confidence in his leadership. “Your reappointment is a vote of confidence in your tireless efforts to rid our country of the menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse. I urge you not to relent in tracking down the merchants of hard drugs who seek to destroy our people, especially the young ones,” the President said.
