By Olukayode Idowu
Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) has described drug as the number one public enemy of Nigeria.
Marwa, who lamented that there is no community in the country were drug abuse or the effect of drug trafficking as not affected, said the NDLEA is now ready to mobilise all Nigerians in the war against illicit drug.
The NDLEA henchman gave this description on Thursday while decorating newly promoted Deputy Commanders General of Narcotics (DCGNs) and Assistant Commanders General of Narcotics (ACGNs) at the agency headquarters in Abuja.
Marwa, while decorating the newly decorated officers who were part of the 3,506 newly promoted officers of the agency, charged them to go all out and crush drug cartels across Nigeria.
Marwa told the officers that their promotion is part of efforts to ensure that the nation’s anti-drug war succeeds, declaring that: “Any clog in our wheels, we’ll destroy and must be crushed. This war must be pursued relentlessly, the entire country mobilised and we must succeed.”
He asked the decorated officers to go all out and crush the drug scourge in every part of the country, even as he attributed the success so far recorded by the agency to the support of President Muhammadu Buhari who “graciously approved payment of liabilities and entitlements owed staff for years and also burial expenses due to families of deceased officers since 2015.”
He assured officers and men of the agency that their welfare and care will continue to remain uppermost under his leadership.
Chairman of the Harmonisation Committee and Special Adviser to the Chairman, Col. Yakubu Bako (Retd); Director of Administration and Establishment, Sani Ibrahim Sani as well as the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Victoria Egbase who spoke at the ceremony commended Marwa for restoring the dignity and morale of the workforce through his purposeful and result oriented leadership of the agency.
A breakdown of the list of promoted officers and men showed eight Assistant Commanders General of Narcotics (ACGN) were elevated to the rank of Deputy Commander General of Narcotics (DCGN); 20 Commanders of Narcotics (CN) to Assistant Commander General of Narcotics; 54 Deputy Commanders of Narcotics to Commander of Narcotics; 14 Assistant Commanders of Narcotics to Commander of Narcotics; 150 Assistant Commanders of Narcotics to Commander of Narcotics; and 350 Chief Superintendents of Narcotics to Assistant Commander of Narcotics.
A total of 630 Superintendents of Narcotics were also moved to the next rank as Chief Superintendent of Narcotics; Deputy Superintendent of Narcotics to Superintendent of Narcotics- 41; Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics I to Superintendent of Narcotics -481; Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics I to Deputy Superintendent of Narcotics -157; Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics II to Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics I -12; Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics II to Deputy Superintendent of Narcotics -187; Chief Narcotic Agent to Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics I -119; Chief Narcotic Agent to Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics II -47; Senior Narcotic Agent to Chief Narcotic Agent – 1,006; Narcotic Agent to Chief Narcotic Agent – 4; Narcotic Agent to Senior Narcotic Agent -68; Narcotic Assistant I to Senior Narcotic Assistant -1 and Narcotic Assistant I to Narcotic Agent -78.
The promotions followed a report by the harmonisation committee instituted by Marwa soon after assuming leadership of the agency in January to address the issues of low morale and stagnation in the career path of personnel.
The promotions were subsequently effected after due consideration was given to the recommendations by the committee by the Board of the NDLEA.
