…Commends Marwa, personnel, NDLEA on globally acclaimed successes
…66,085 arrested; 11.1million kg drugs seized; 12,201 convicted; 26,393 rehabilitated in 53 months – Marwa
THUR JUNE 26 2025-theGBJournal| President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that the fight against the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria must be embraced by all as a national movement rather than one for governments alone.
The President stated this in his keynote address at the grand finale of a weeklong programme to commemorate the 2025 World Drug Day held at the Presidential Villa Conference Centre, Abuja on Thursday 26th June 2025.
”Let us also be clear: this fight is not one for governments alone. It must be a national movement—driven by families, faith leaders, civil society organisations, youth groups, community leaders, businesses, and, crucially, people with lived experience. Their voices matter.
Their stories inspire. Their leadership is essential.
At the same time, we must not ignore the deeper roots of this crisis. Drug abuse is tied to poverty, inequality, violence and conflict.
To effectively tackle this problem, our approach must be comprehensive. We must foster peace. We must promote inclusive development.
And we must uphold human rights every step of the way,” the president who was represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator George Akume declared.
He assured Nigeria stands firmly with the global community in the effort to tame the scourge of drug abuse and its consequences. According to him, ”We are committed to working hand in hand with all nations to end this menace and tame illicit trafficking of substances.
Together, we can dismantle the systems that sustain this crisis. Together, we can build a future where prevention is strong, treatment is accessible, and recovery is not just possible—but celebrated.
There is no doubt that in the past two years, this has been the focus of the renewed hope agenda of our administration; breaking the burden of poverty, uplifting millions out of squalor and caring for the needs of the masses especially our youth population through student loans scheme and other empowerment initiatives.”
While commending ”the great efforts of the NDLEA, its personnel and the leadership headed by Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) for their globally acclaimed successes not only in the area of drug supply reduction but equally in drug demand reduction through aggressive nationwide sensitization aimed at prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration of treated drug users back into their families and the society,”
President Tinubu noted that the efforts ”have not only attracted commendations from international partners and western nations but more support and collaboration with Nigeria in the global effort to curb the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.”
In his welcome remark at the occasion, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that there is no better time than now for the country to take drug use prevention seriously.
According to him, “the reality around us is a strong indication—a wake-up call—for us as parents, guardians and governments to step up preventive measures.
”For our nation, prevention is particularly critical, as we are already grappling with a serious challenge. Seven years ago, we came to the stark realisation that Nigeria had one of the highest drug abuse prevalence rates in the world.
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