President Bola 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 while delivering a 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.
He emphasized that the fight must be a national movement, driven by families, faith leaders, civil society organisations, youth groups, community leaders, businesses, and, crucially, people with lived experience, adding that “their voices matter, their stories inspire, their leadership is essential”.
Identifying the deeper roots of the crisis as poverty, inequality, violence and conflict, the president, who was represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, declared that “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”.
He assured that Nigeria stands firmly with the global community in the effort to tame the scourge of drug abuse and its consequences.
“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.”
The president commended “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”, even as he 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 was 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”.
He emphasized that for Nigeria, prevention is particularly critical, given that she is 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. Today, with a population exceeding 230 million, it is both urgent and pragmatic to prevent new individuals from being drawn into the population of drug users. As parents, guardians, and leaders, we must be more vigilant and recognise that the issue of drug abuse is not distant—it is close to home.
We must acknowledge that children are especially vulnerable, and we should not dismiss experimentation with illicit drugs as behaviour limited to a particular demographic.”
The anti-narcotics Czar averred that the NDLEA has continued to strengthen prevention strategies while being ferocious in its drug supply reduction activities, adding that addressing the socio-economic drivers of drug abuse is also crucial, as a prevention strategy.
Ultimately however, Buba went on, much responsibility rests on parenting. Hence, “we should be looking at how to empower those invested with the role of parenting. Through our War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign, we work with parents, teachers and leaders in communities, institutions and associations to spread awareness and teach how to safeguard younger generations. Our family support advocacy emphasises that children don’t just need money—they need the presence and voice of their parents and guardians. Parents must ask questions, dig deeper, and instill values”.
Marwa also highlighted the advocacy efforts of the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, which continues to gain momentum with 11, 123 sensitisation programmes organised in schools, work places, worship centres, markets, motor parks and communities, while millions have been reached through its various robust weekly media engagements.
He noted that prevention efforts will amount to little if access to illicit drugs remains open and easy. “Put simply, while we work strategically to prevent individuals from initiating drug use, we must simultaneously shut down the pipeline through which these harmful substances are distributed. We must remove traffickers from the equation. This is a task we have continued to pursue diligently, deploying every resource at our disposal”, he said.
On the milestones the agency has attained, Marwa disclosed that it had, over the past four and a half years, arrested 66,085 offenders—including 94 identified drug barons. NDLEA’s Operation Offensive Action has yielded tangible results, including the seizure of 11,143,717.44kg assorted illicit drugs with life sentences now being secured in court while a total of 12,201 offenders have bagged various jail terms within the same time frame.
Marwa expressed gratitude to the individuals and institutions that have shown determination and resolve in helping to stem the tide of drug abuse in Nigeria, especially to President Bola Tinubu, whose administration he said, has provided the NDLEA with robust backing.
He also expressed appreciation to the National Assembly—particularly the chairmen and members of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Drugs and Narcotics—who have been steadfast allies of the agency. Similar sentiments also went to the Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum and the MTN Nigeria Foundation for having “proven to be valued partners in progress”.
“To the UNODC, INL, DEA, UK Border Force, NCA and the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and France—thank you for your continued and meaningful support”, he said.
