HONLAF Abuja 2023: Why Nigeria needs to ramp up effort against illicit drugs

Nigeria was in the limelight last week as it hosted 54 other African nations in the 31st Meeting of the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies in Africa (HONLAF) and 15 observer countries in Abuja.  Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was the chair of the conference where African countries and the United […]

Nigeria was in the limelight last week as it hosted 54 other African nations in the 31st Meeting of the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies in Africa (HONLAF) and 15 observer countries in Abuja. 

Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was the chair of the conference where African countries and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) deliberated on wide-ranging topics on trends in illicit drugs trafficking on the continent. 

The conference showed another facet of Nigeria’s leadership on the continent. While this is Nigeria’s third time hosting the HONLAF, the 31st edition hosted at this time is proof of trust in the new leadership of the NDLEA and the transformation that has taken place in the past 26 months. 

HONLAF is another testimony that NDLEA’s effort is being recognised beyond the shores of this country. This should be a motivation for Nigerian citizens to support NDLEA’s quest to safeguard the health of our society against illicit substances. 

It is heartening to hear our government give its commitment to the fight against illicit substances . Vice President Kashim Shettima, who delivered President Bola Tinubu’s address at the opening ceremony, stated that commitment to the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse is not just a matter of policy but a moral imperative. 

“We recognise that a population at war with drugs is not a dividend but a liability. We believe that the future of our youth, the strength of our institutions, and the well-being of our communities depend on our ability to eradicate this threat,” he had stated. 

The government’s expressed commitment is a cue for the citizenry to follow suit. 

If anything, the HONLAF should further impress the Nigerian populace the seriousness that must be accorded to the fight against the drug scourge. The gathering of heads of anti-narcotics organisations in Nigeria this week has shown that it is a problem that every country in the continent is grappling with. We must rally round NDLEA to sustain the momentum so that our country will not be left behind but continue to take the front seat in securing our country and the continent at large. 

 

Okogun, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Benin City.