Retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has urged traditional rulers and parents to help combat drug abuse across Nigeria.
He made the appeal on Saturday while attending the 10th anniversary of Akinale Day and the coronation anniversary of Oba Oluseyi Ayodeji Adediran, Otileta I, Towulade of Owu Akinale in Ogun state.
According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA's director of media and advocacy, Marwa described his attendance as a pilgrimage of friendship and respect. The NDLEA boss recalled knowing the monarch for nearly two decades, going back to Oba Adediran's time leading the Lisabi Youths.
Marwa praised the traditional ruler's leadership qualities displayed during his youth work. He noted these same virtues now guide the monarch's reign, which has lasted a year.
Substance abuse touches everyone—rich and poor, city dwellers and rural residents alike, Marwa warned. He called on parents to embrace strong parenting values by monitoring their children for behavioral shifts.
The NDLEA chief appealed to young people to turn away from illicit drugs, calling substance abuse a deceptive escape that worsens rather than fixes problems. He tasked the Royal Council and community leaders in Owu Akinale with building local advocacy networks against drug trafficking.
These networks should make the town inhospitable for drug dealers while supporting those battling addiction, he said. The agency cannot defeat drug abuse without partnerships from traditional institutions and monarchs who grasp how young people think, Marwa stressed.
His comments followed recent discoveries of Nigerian-Mexican cartel-run industrial methamphetamine labs in forests across Ogun and Oyo states. Marwa urged southwest traditional rulers and community leaders to watch for suspicious activities in their forests.
He called on them to carefully screen anyone seeking to buy farmland in rural areas, noting that such transactions require proper vetting. The warning extended to traditional leaders nationwide to remain vigilant about unfamiliar persons in their communities.
