President Bola Tinubu has assured his administration’s support for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in its fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

President Tinubu gave the assurance on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, otherwise known as World Drug Day, held Wednesday at the State House Conference Centre Abuja.

Speaking at the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, also known as World Drug Day, held at the State House Conference Centre Abuja, President Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, highlighted the theme “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention.”

He said: “I enjoin all and sundry to support the War Against Drug Abuse initiative, otherwise known as the WADA campaign, launched by NDLEA three years ago.

“I commend and urge everyone to redouble their efforts to combat drug abuse and trafficking in the country. On this score, I wish to reassure you of this administration’s support.

“The Renewed Hope Agenda places the youth at the centre of its focus. Therefore, we ensure that our young people are protected from anything that could derail their future or destroy their potential.”

Noting that illicit drugs and substances have wreaked havoc on individuals, families, communities and countries worldwide, the president said: “In the face of such a formidable challenge, prevention is the most potent weapon that we can deploy. Prevention not only saves lives; it also saves resources that would otherwise be spent on treatment and rehabilitation.

“It empowers individuals to make informed choices, promotes healthy lifestyles and creates resilient communities capable of withstanding the pressures of drug abuse.

“Investing in prevention is not merely a moral imperative, a prudent way of safeguarding our future. By allocating resources towards evidence-based prevention programmes, we can break the vicious cycle of drug abuse and protect our youth from falling prey to the menace.”

The President further noted that “The assignment before us as a country requires that we prioritise evidence-based prevention strategies, allocate adequate resources and foster partnerships for greater impact.”

The President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting NDLEA’s success and ensuring positive statistics from the next national drug use survey. He called on all Nigerians to join hands in this noble cause, highlighting NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy initiative as a formidable platform for cooperation

He said, “This government will support NDLEA to build on the success recorded in the past few years. We shall work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that we have positive statistics from the next national drug use survey that will be conducted in the country.”

He urged all Nigerians to join hands in the noble cause.

“This is an assignment for all patriotic citizens of this country, including religious leaders, traditional leaders, educational institutions, opinion leaders, and civil society organisations. NDLEA has created a formidable platform for cooperation vis-à-vis its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy initiative,” he said.

In his welcome remark, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) said that the ‘Save Our Families’ social advocacy campaign launched at the ceremony, is designed to prevent and tackle drug use through early detection and intervention by making the Agency’s newly produced special drug test kits a necessity in every home, schools and workplaces.

He said,, “The Agency has introduced the Drug Integrity Test initiative anticipated to metamorphose into an anti-drug culture for every Nigerian. The test is intended for secondary school students, students seeking admission into tertiary institutions and returning students, workers in government and private offices and individuals seeking political offices as well as prospective couples before taking their marriage vows. The drug test will serve as a tool for the prevention of drug use and early detection of the individual’s status of drug use for the purpose of appropriate intervention including treatment and rehabilitation. Let me also add that our drug integrity test, which has been adopted by some government institutions and tertiary institutions in the country, is a preventive mechanism.

“As a result, we have produced tens of thousands of special test kits capable of detecting 15 different substances, now available in all our commands across the country. This is for use in homes, schools, workplaces and others. Apart from helping in early detection of drug abuse especially by our youths so that we can get them help in form of treatment, this will also create some deterrence effects.”

Speaking on the theme for this year’s World Drug Day, Marwa said drug use prevention lies at the heart of NDLEA’s strategy in addressing the drug problem because it is far more effective and cost-efficient to prevent drug abuse than to deal with its consequences.

He said the agency has so far arrested 52,901 drug traffickers, including 48 barons, and obtained over 9,000 convictions of suspects in the last three years.

Reeling out the achievements of the anti-drugs agency under his supervision in the last three years, Gen. Marwa said NDLEA’s actions have resulted in the seizure of over 7.6 million kilograms of assorted illicit substances, such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and cannabis among others.

He said the agency’s success in prosecution is a testament to its commitment to bringing drug criminals to justice, adding that with a conviction rate of over 70%, NDLEA has secured convictions for 9,000 suspects, including drug lords and cartels.

Justifying the theme for this year’s Day, “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention”, the NDLEA boss said efforts of achieve a drug free Nigeria is being led with preventive steps, one of which has been blocking distribution channels.

“The imperative to invest in prevention is dictated by evidence-based results that have shown that prevention is far more cost effective than dealing with the consequences of drug use disorder. Because, after all, prevention is better than cure.

“At NDLEA, drug use prevention lies at the heart of our strategy in addressing the drug problem as it is: far more effective and cost-efficient to prevent drug abuse than to deal with its consequences. As part of the reforms being undertaken in the Agency in the last three years, with the support of the Federal Government and various stakeholders, we have invested in prevention programmes.

“In consonance with the theory of Demand and Supply, we have employed balanced approach in our prevention efforts by making sure that Drug Demand Reduction efforts compliment the supply reduction efforts.

“Just as we invest resources in the prevention of abuse and trafficking of illicit substances, we are also not relenting in our effort to cut off supply channels and dismantle trafficking networks. After all, when you cut off drug supplies, you deny users availability and access to them, including insurgents, terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and sundry criminals who rely on drugs to foster their criminalities.

“The magnitude of our effort is reflected in the statistics of our drug supply reduction activities. We have arrested 52, 901 drug traffickers, including 48 barons, in three and half years. Over 9, 000 of the suspects have been convicted in court. We have also seized over the same periods 7.6 million kilograms of assorted illicit substances,” he said.

In addition, the NDLEA has launched an offensive operation targeting cannabis farms at the source, saying that the effort has led to the destruction of about 1,057 hectares of cannabis farms in the past three years.

He, however, disclosed that the agency is also planning an alternative development programme to persuade cannabis farmers to grow cash crops instead, with incentives attached.

While noting that the programme was crucial, Marwa said that the 2018 national drug use survey revealed that 10.6 million Nigerians aged 15-64 abused cannabis, out of a total 14.3 million drug abusers.

“An aspect of our offensive action operation also targets cannabis sativa at source to prevent it from reaching our cities and streets. In this regard, we continually locate and destroy cannabis farms deep in the forests where they are cultivated. So far, we have destroyed 1, 057 hectares of cannabis farms in the past three years.

“As we speak, we are also ramping up plans for an Alternative Development Programme, which aims at persuading cannabis farmers to accept and grow cash crops and forgo the cultivation of the psychoactive plant.

“Of course, this will go with certain incentives. Alternative development is very important when we consider that out of 14.3 million Nigerians aged 15–64 who abused drugs as per the last national drug use survey of 2018, 10.6 million of them actually abused cannabis,” he said.

The NDLEA boss said the agency has established an inter-ministerial committee known as the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), initiative, aimed at strengthening the coordination of drug control efforts in the country.

According to him, the committee, which he chairs, comprises relevant ministries, departments, and agencies, crucial to drug abuse prevention, including the Federal Ministries of Health and Social Welfare, Education, Women Affairs, Information, Youths, and agencies like NAFDAC and NACA, among others.

This inter-ministerial approach aims to share best practices, mobilise resources, and tackle the multifaceted challenge of drug abuse.

NDLEA’s efforts have been recognised by international partners, including the European Union, UNODC, and the US-DEA, among others. The agency’s collaboration with foreign law enforcement agencies has led to the arrest and prosecution of Nigerian drug traffickers abroad.

The agency’s drug demand reduction efforts have also yielded significant results, with over 33,453 individuals counseled, treated, and rehabilitated in NDLEA’s 30 rehabilitation centers nationwide.

“This is a significant achievement for Nigeria and a testament to our commitment to a drug-free society. We will continue to intensify our efforts to prevent drug abuse and illicit trafficking, and to bring drug criminals to justice,” Brig. Gen. Marwa said.

Outgoing UNODC Country Representative, Dr. Oliver Stolpe also made a number of recommendations. “After the exceptionally successful testing of the school-based drug prevention programme UNPLUGGED involving half a million secondary school children in Nigeria, the programme should be rolled out to all 28, 000 public and private secondary schools. We need to enhance the resilience against drug use among the millions of out-of-school children, for example through sports-based initiatives such as LINE UP LIVE UP (LULU). Furthermore, we need to strengthen families in their ability to recognise and address drug use in effective and constructive ways.”

Dr. Stolpe further said: “Most importantly, there is an urgent need to repeat the 2018 national drug use survey. Without up-to-date data, there is no way in which we can assess whether our collective efforts have long-term impact and address the actual priorities.”

Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, who emphasized the importance of testing in schools expressed the ministry’s support for NDLEA drug test campaign while he called on agencies of government “to work together and support all these efforts.”

According to him: “The most important place where this prevention fight should start is the education sector. And we will do our own part, even last week, it was something we considered and promised to review the existing policies so that we can work with NDLEA to take it to secondary schools and primary schools. To establish at all levels compulsory and sustained testing. It has to be compulsory and sustained, right through the years and period of their education.”

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, Hon. Abass Adigun called for more budgetary provisions for NDLEA in the face of its multi-faceted mandate. “We at the national assembly are ready to work with the NDLEA and we need the federal government to look into this.”

Others who spoke included Senator Sadiq Umar, who represented the Senate President; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN; Chairman of MTN Foundation, Prince Julius Adelusi Adeluyi and guest lecturer at the event, Dr. Vincent Udenze of Intersect Consortium, among others.

The speakers, in their separate submissions at the event, stressed the need for collaboration by all stakeholders to strengthen the tempo and operations of the anti-drugs agency.

They were also unanimous in calling on the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to re-look at the imperative of adequate funding for the NDLEA and other agencies affiliated with drugs use reduction.