By Ademuyiwa Balikis
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 for another five years.
The decision, announced on Thursday through a State House statement signed by Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirms that Marwa will now lead the anti narcotics agency until 2031.
Marwa was first appointed to the position in January 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, following his role as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse between 2018 and 2020.
A retired military officer from Adamawa State, Marwa previously served as military governor of Lagos and Borno States. He is an alumnus of the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy, and has held key defence positions including brigade major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, aide-de-camp to former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, and defence adviser roles in Washington, DC, and at Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Marwa also holds two postgraduate degrees: a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.
His leadership of the NDLEA has been widely noted for major anti drug operations, including the arrests of more than 73,000 drug traffickers and the seizure of over 15 million kilogrammes of illicit substances. The agency has also intensified nationwide public awareness campaigns on drug abuse under his watch.
President Tinubu described the reappointment as a recognition of Marwa’s contributions to the fight against drug trafficking and abuse, urging him to continue the momentum as the agency battles drug cartels across the country.
