NDLEA Promotes 5,042 Officers As Commands, Personnel Receive Special Awards
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has elevated a total of 5,042 personnel, even as 2 senior officers were elevated to the rank of Deputy Commander General of Narcotics, DCGN; 22 as Assistant Commander General of Narcotics, ACGN and 66 as Commander of Narcotics, CN.
According to the anti-narcotics agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Wednesday, the promotions, which were approved by the Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen.
Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), followed weeks of examination and interviews conducted for qualified candidates, and is part of an ongoing exercise to enhance human resource management, particularly on staff motivation and welfare, for efficiency and effectiveness in the achievement of organizational goals.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday 10th July 2024 at an event to decorate some of the promoted officers with their new ranks and reward 15 commands and 70 personnel for outstanding performances in the first half of 2024, Marwa said prompt and timely promotion of all deserving and qualified officers remains top on the agenda of his leadership.
“I am pleased to say that we continue to wax stronger on this journey we embarked on three and a half years ago when we decided to turn around the fortunes of this agency, by improving our performance as a precursor to reversing the perilous drug use situation in our dear country, Nigeria.
“On this occasion of the 8th edition of the commands’ awards and commendations ceremony, we have every reason to be thankful because our performance continuously justifies our conviction in Offensive Action, WADA and other reforms that we undertook. For our modest efforts, we have received plaudits at home and abroad. What that means is that we have to do more.
The reward for work well done is more work, and in our case, we cannot rest on our oars until all the objectives of our mandate are fully achieved. May I remind us that the bottom-line is a drug-free Nigeria”, he said.
He said further that management of the agency is trying to keep the motivation going, by ensuring that “we provide everything necessary to make this work safe, secure and conducive for everyone working in this Agency. Our new barracks in Adamawa, Abuja and Lagos are almost complete and will be commissioned soon”, he said, adding that the recent promotion of 5, 053 officers speaks volumes about the agency’s dedication to prompt and timely promotion of officers. “It is symbolic of our effort to break the jinx of stagnation, which was once an albatross for our personnel”, Marwa stated.
The anti-narcotics czar revealed that to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of NDLEA’s operations, the agency is creating five strategic commands in Lagos, FCT, MMIA, Apapa and Tincan, and will be deploying body cameras for the use of officers on strategic operations for the purpose of ensuring their safety and the integrity of such operations.
While charging officers, men and women of the agency to remain upright in the discharge of their duties, Marwa emphasized that the NDLEA has, in three and a half years, taken down as many as 50 identifiable drug cartels, some of them important spokes in the wheel of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine distribution in the country and the global trafficking network, and has seized a huge quantity of illicit drugs while record numbers of drug offenders have been convicted.
“We have achieved many milestones without soiling our integrity and I expect us to continue on that course. Our core values of integrity, hardwork and transparency, among others, must be respected at all times. We need to continue to justify the trust reposed in us by society, and our government, as well as our international partners and governments supporting us across the globe. We have raised the standard and it must not be lowered at any cost or by any means”, the NDLEA boss said.
He also reiterated that the agency will not take kindly to any news of infractions, indiscipline or corruption from the field or any command. “The least we demand of any officer of this proud agency is to be upright and committed to our goals, while management continues to work on our welfare. The strides of the past three years have put behind us the tribulations of the previous 30 years. We owe the agency allegiance to maintain its integrity. We owe the public a duty to not betray the trust reposed in us. We owe our government, and our partners and stakeholders supporting us a duty to get the job done.
“Therefore, we must not fail in giving the required sacrifice, patriotism, commitment, honesty, hard work, and all the virtues that go along with this important job and service to the nation and mankind. You have my assurances and those of the management of NDLEA that we shall not relent in the pursuit to create the best paradigm of work, welfare and reward for you.”
At the end of the ceremony, the NDLEA boss proceeded to have a closed-door meeting with all commanders and directors where he outlined the tasks ahead for their implementation in their different areas of responsibility.
