The chairman of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brigadier General. Buba Marwa said on Wednesday that the war against illicit drugs and trafficking in Nigeria was yielding positive results.
Marwa said this in Abuja during an awareness training on Drug Prevention, Treatment and Care, organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for NLDEA staff and journalists.
He said the arrest of former police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) commander DCP Abba Kyari is a clear message of the agency’s commitment to fighting drug abuse.
Marwa said that those who have the responsibility to fight crime, including illicit drug trafficking, should not be advocates of crime.
He also said that the fight against drug abuse is a serious matter and assured that the agency is committed to ensuring a drug-free nation.
The president of the NDLEA valued the important role that is being played in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse in the country.
He urged the journalists in the training to acquire enough knowledge, in order to provide accurate information to the people.
“The media has a very important role to play in our society. The business of obtaining information must be accurate and professional.
“This is important especially in the business of drug control, drug abuse, trafficking.
“There are technicalities that you need to have enough knowledge of, the terrain, so that when you spread the word, it spreads accurately because you shape the opinions of millions.
“That’s why I urge journalists to take this training seriously and make the most of it.
“While we’re at it, there’s an ongoing game that we’re witnessing and I’ve followed the role of the media even in it. It is a serious matter that is underway. We are all responsible.
“We want a drug-free nation. We may not get to level zero, but there is definitely a certain minimum standard of acceptability that we are all chasing after,” she said.
Marwa expressed her gratitude to the UNODC for its support in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse in the country.
The UNODC representative in the country, Oliver Stolpe, said that the drug use epidemic affects around 40 million Nigerians, of whom around three million have drug use disorders.
Stolpe, who praised the media’s efforts in disseminating information, said much remains to be done in the fight against drug abuse in Nigeria.
“I think there is still more to be done, because I still believe that most Nigerians perceive drug use more as a failure of some people, basically, who use drugs.
“It has not yet been fully appreciated that drug use is a health condition first and foremost, and it is a health condition that affects this nation much more seriously than I think there is true awareness.
“Just to give you an idea. The HIV/AIDS that USAID and international development partners have spent billions to fight and bring under control affects 1.9 million Nigerians right now.
“COVID-19 affects approximately half a million people. The drug use epidemic in terms of pure use affects around 40 million Nigerians right now, and around three million are affected by what we would call a drug use disorder.
“It means that they would need medical intervention to stop using drugs.
“So this is a higher number than HIV/AIDS or COVID-19, and yet I think in terms of what is being done to address this issue, it falls significantly short of other efforts,” he said.
Stolpe said the country also needed to prioritize tackling the drug problem, as it has done with other health and social issues.
“So it’s really critical and that’s the message that I hope you (the media) will continue to help us spread,” he said.
