By Peter Omopo
President Bola Tinubu has approved the reappointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.) as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for a second five-year term.
The renewal of Marwa’s appointment, which will keep him in office until 2031, was announced on Friday in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
Marwa was first appointed in January 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari. Before taking over leadership of the NDLEA, he chaired the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse between 2018 and 2020.
The presidency described Marwa as a seasoned security administrator whose extensive military and diplomatic background has strengthened the NDLEA’s operations. A graduate of the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1973 and went on to serve in several key roles, including brigade major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp to then Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, and academic registrar of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
He also represented Nigeria abroad as Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and later as Defence Adviser to the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the United Nations. His academic credentials include a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.
According to the State House, the NDLEA under Marwa has achieved major breakthroughs in its war against drug trafficking and abuse. The agency recorded “numerous drug busts, including the arrests of 73,000 drug mules and barons and seizures of over 15 million kilogrammes of various hard drugs,” alongside intensified nationwide advocacy campaigns.
President Tinubu praised Marwa’s performance, describing his reappointment as “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,” the president added.
Marwa, who previously served as military governor of Lagos and Borno states, is now expected to consolidate the agency’s recent gains and drive further reforms as he begins his second term.
The presidency stated that the renewed appointment ensures the Adamawa-born security expert will remain at the helm of the NDLEA until 2031.
