Drug war: First Lady, UNODC, Marwa charge states on community-based interventions
State governments have been called upon to embrace and entrench community-based interventions that will curb the impact of the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking at the grassroots. The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig-Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa; Country Representative of the […]
Oluremi Tinubu
State governments have been called upon to embrace and entrench community-based interventions that will curb the impact of the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking at the grassroots.
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig-Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa; Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Cheikh Ousmane Toure, and ECOWAS representative, Dr Daniel Amankwaah, made the plea on Tuesday in Abuja at a training workshop.
The training was organised by the NDLEA for the Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum.
They said the call was in line with the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP).
In her keynote address to the gathering, Senator Tinubu, represented by wife of the Deputy Senate President, Hajiya Laila Jibrin Barau, commended the NDLEA and NGSF for the initiative aimed at advancing drug control efforts to the grassroots nationwide.
She specifically commended Marwa and his team for courageously confronting the fight against illicit drug abuse and trafficking in the country.
“This training cannot be coming at any better time than now when statistics and daily life experiences are revealing that drugs have infiltrated every nook and cranny of our communities.
“As a nation, we are confronted with a growing crisis; one that affects the very core of our society, the health, safety, and future of our children.
“The rising tide of drug and substance abuse amongst adolescents is a challenge that we must no longer ignore or tackle in isolation. It requires concerted efforts, community-driven response, one that integrates enforcement, education, family support, and sustained intervention.
“Our presence at this training testifies to the collective resolve we display in ensuring that we strengthen, secure and safeguard families and communities,” Senator Tinubu said.
Speaking earlier, Marwa said the drug scourge obstructed progress and dimmed prospects in an already beleaguered world.
He said it is imperative for all stakeholders at the workshop to adopt urgent, holistic, and inclusive strategies to dismantle the drug menace.
“Under the drug supply reduction mandate, encompassing drug seizures, arrests, prosecutions and convictions, we recorded the arrest of 62,595 drug suspects (including 68 drug barons), the seizure of 10,317,137.55kg of assorted drugs, and secured the conviction of 11,628 offenders.
“Furthermore, 1,330.56553 hectares of cannabis farms were identified and destroyed. To ensure a balanced approach in accordance with international best practices, equal emphasis has been placed on drug demand reduction. Between January 2021 and March 2025, a total of 24,375 drug users received counselling and treatment at NDLEA facilities, primarily through brief interventions,” Marwa said.
Also speaking at the event, UNODC Country Rep, Cheikh Ousmane Toure said, “If the root of this crisis lies in our neighbourhoods, schools, and homes, then the solution must too.
“The National Drug Control Master Plan and the WADA initiative remind us that national framework alone cannot heal fractured communities. Lasting change begins when states and local governments own this fight.”
He reminded the first ladies that their influence transcends politics, stressing that states must adopt evidence-based programmes to their cultural contexts, and decentralize treatment access.
Also, the head of ECOWAS Drug Prevention and Control Division, Dr Daniel Amankwaah, in his goodwill message, urged state governments to invest in prevention and treatment efforts at the state and community-levels.