President Bola Tinubu has renewed the appointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for an additional five years. The decision aims to strengthen ongoing efforts against drug trafficking and substance abuse across Nigeria.
The reappointment was confirmed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement to newsmen on Friday.
He said: “Your reappointment reflects our confidence in your tireless efforts to rid our country of the menace of drug trafficking and abuse. I urge you to continue pursuing those who seek to destroy our youth with illegal substances.”
The Adamawa-born former military officer, who first assumed office in January 2021 under President Muhammadu Buhari, will now remain at the helm of the NDLEA until 2031, completing a two-term tenure.
Prior to this, Marwa chaired the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse between 2018 and 2020.
Under his leadership, the NDLEA has recorded notable successes, including the arrest of more than 73,000 drug traffickers and the seizure of over 15 million kilogrammes of illegal substances.
The agency has also conducted nationwide awareness campaigns aimed at curbing drug abuse.
Marwa, a former military governor of Lagos and Borno States, has a distinguished career in the Nigerian Armed Forces.
He graduated from the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). Following his commissioning in 1973, he held positions including Brigade Major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp to Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma, and academic registrar of the NDA.
He also served as Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC, and later as Defence Adviser to Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. Marwa holds a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh (1983–85) and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University (1985–86).
