Torrent of Awards for NDLEA Boss, Buba Marwa

“Integrity, insight, and inclusiveness are the three essential qualities of leadership,” says the Indian spiritual teacher, Sadhguru.

One Nigerian leader that possesses all qualities is Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd). When in January 2021, he began work as the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the country was entering a new phase in the battle against the worsening crisis of illicit drugs.

The increase in drug use and abuse in recent times has resulted in an uptick in crimes, especially in many urban cities. Undeterred by the weight of the task before him, the former military governor of Lagos State rolled his sleeves, moved like a hurricane, and got to work.

Marwa will be on record as the first Drug Czar to embrace a multi-dimensional and holistic approach that aims to mitigate the harm done by drug use instead of the traditional just-say-no-ism of past chief executives.

Like a true soldier, in just two years, he has led the agency to arrest nearly thousands of drug offenders, including notorious barons across the country. Within the same period, a lot of persons were convicted and jailed, while more than 12,000 drug users were counselled and treated.

For this, the NDLEA boss has received a lot of commendation for the new dynamic and greatly improved agency.

Today, for his effort, the country is witnessing a new dawn in drug warfare and his string of successes in the tough battle against drug trafficking has projected the nation in a more positive light. Expectedly, the Adamawa-born leadership quality has not gone unnoticed as awards and honours have poured on him in torrents.

Recently, he received awards from notable media organisations. He began the year with the 2022 Distinguished Public Service award from Vanguard Newspapers. This was followed by another well-deserved honour as the Leadership Person of the Year Award for 2022.

The event, which was themed ‘Credible Elections and Economy in Transition’, was chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, while a former Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga, served as keynote speaker.