The Presidency has officially confirmed the reappointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (retired) as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for an additional five-year term.
The announcement, made public on Friday through a statement by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, extends Marwa’s leadership of the anti-narcotics agency through 2031.
Marwa’s initial appointment came in January 2021 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. Before assuming the NDLEA chairmanship, the Adamawa State native led the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse between 2018 and December 2020.
In his reappointment letter, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu described the decision as a recognition of Marwa’s outstanding performance in combating drug-related crimes in Nigeria.
“Your reappointment is a vote of confidence in your onerous efforts to rid our country of the menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse. I urge you not to relent in tracking the merchants of hard drugs, out to destroy our people, especially the young ones,” President Tinubu stated.
The retired brigadier-general’s tenure at the NDLEA has been marked by significant achievements in the fight against illicit drugs. Under his watch, the agency has successfully arrested more than 73,000 suspected drug traffickers and couriers while seizing over 15 million kilograms of various narcotic substances.
Beyond enforcement operations, Marwa has also spearheaded comprehensive public awareness campaigns across Nigeria aimed at curbing drug abuse and addiction among citizens, particularly youths.
Marwa brings extensive military and diplomatic experience to his role. An alumnus of the Nigerian Military School and Nigerian Defence Academy, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1973. His distinguished military career included serving as Brigade Major of the 23 Armoured Brigade and Aide-de-Camp to the then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma. He also held the position of Academic Registrar at the Nigerian Defence Academy.
On the diplomatic front, Marwa served as Deputy Defence Adviser at Nigeria’s Embassy in Washington, DC, and later as Defence Adviser to Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
The NDLEA chairman holds impressive academic credentials, including a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh (obtained between 1983 and 1985) and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University (1985 to 1986).
Marwa also served as Military Governor of both Lagos State (1996 to 1999) and Borno State (1990 to 1992) during Nigeria’s military era.
With this renewed mandate, Marwa is expected to build on the foundation laid during his first term and intensify efforts to rid Nigeria of drug trafficking networks and substance abuse.