President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the reappointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), extending his tenure by another five years.
The announcement was made on Friday in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Marwa, who first assumed leadership of the NDLEA in January 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, will now continue to lead the anti-narcotics agency until 2031.
Before his initial appointment, he chaired the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse from 2018 to 2020.
A decorated military officer and seasoned administrator, the Adamawa-born Marwa previously served as military governor of both Lagos and Borno States. He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), where he later served as academic registrar.
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Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1973, he held key positions, including Brigade Major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp to then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma, Deputy Defence Adviser at Nigeria’s Embassy in Washington, DC, and Defence Adviser at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Marwa also boasts strong academic credentials, holding a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.
His stewardship at the NDLEA has earned widespread commendation.
Under his leadership, the agency has recorded major breakthroughs: the arrest of over 73,000 drug mules and barons, seizure of more than 15 million kilogrammes of illicit substances, and the rollout of nationwide preventive campaigns targeting drug abuse.
Tinubu described the renewal of Marwa’s mandate as an affirmation of his effectiveness and dedication in Nigeria’s battle against illicit drugs.
“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,” the President said.
