“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
—Tim Notke
By Cosmas Omegoh
Many thumbs are up for Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
At every turn, Marwa’s praise hangs thickly in the air. Lots of people hail him for his stellar performances at the anti-narcotics agency. He is perceived as a true anti-drugs czar, a square peg in the right hole whose lines are falling in the right places.
In fact, with him at the NDLEA, many are having their heads resting blissfully in the clouds.
Indeed, since Marwa was appointed as the NDLEA helmsman in January 2021, the agency’s curve has not only changed, but maintained an upward climb.
Many agree that Marwa has taken the body to the 10th floor, and still commits to hitting the enviable heights where the sky is blue.
Truth be told, the NDLEA had never been where it is now.
Nowadays, Marwa and NDLEA are regularly in the news. But their mentions have not been gratis. Rather, Marwa and his members of staff are earning their worth in gold through hard work, sheer determination and commitment to accomplishment of set goals.
For sure, what the NDLEA has become now under Marwa is what the President Muhammadu Buhari administration might be proud to claim as its own as it trudges to the finishing line.
Week after week, NDLEA seizes and recovers drugs worth billions of naira from big-time vendors, unmasking their networks, and revealing their modus operadi.
Many across the country are happy that humongous quantity of drugs is being successfully taken out of circulation everyday.
Their owners are denied of their vicious plans to have them inundate the Nigerian society and force it to further become drug-soaked.
With what NDLEA is doing, therefore, the country is eminently reclaiming its pride of place as one serious with anti-narcotics drive. That leaves everyone with a glimmer of hope that a saner society is beckoning.
All over the world, the danger and damage done by drugs remain as permanent as incalculable. That is why serious countries do not joke with their drug enforcement. That job is neither for the faint-hearted nor the lily-livered. It is for the courageous, disciplined and dogged. Here, Marwa, the man with the strength of steel fits perfectly.
Looking back, there is no one who will not weep at the disturbing sights of young people indulging in drugs. Illicit substances are turning many young people to irritants in their respective families. Some have killed their parents for refusing them money to sustain their drug dependency and escapades. Some have reportedly died in their sleep after an overdose of drugs. Some have plunged to their death from dizzying heights clearly under drug influences. Some have met their waterloo consuming Met a.k.a Mkpurummiri; they are often seen either reveling in the putrid waters or running amok in the streets.
Sadly, many ignorant youths have remained unfazed about the grave dangers drugs hold. They get goaded by barons feeding fat on the blood of the innocent.
It is here that Marwa comes to the rescue, deploying his top-notch military skills for the good of society.
For sure, Marwa is doing well! That is why each time NDLEA nets high-net worth drug barons, an elated society cheers.
At the moment, some people are elated with the numerous collaborations with local and international agencies, and the MoUs Marwa had signed here and there to effectively close the remaining gaps exiting in the anti-drug fight.
He has also earned the confidence of many for the spirit of motivation he has brought to the NDLEA.
But all the achievements Marwa and his men have garnered have not come without costs.
Some of their operations in the past – it must be recalled – at some point turned fatal.
From time to time, for instance, NDLEA operatives engage cannabis farmers and sellers in the bushes. There they destroy hectres of illicit marijuana farms. That takes loads of guts and gust.
Under Marwa, the NDLEA has engaged in numerous street dog fights with drug merchants who refuse to let go.
Even when the NDLEA wins the battle, some gallant officers still pay the supreme prize. Such is the size of the risk they face.
But happy enough, high-profile persons who have been profiting from the illicit drug trade are constantly being smoked out.
Their deeds are coming out in the open; their formidable cartels are getting busted. They are having their days in court.
Perhaps a part of the society’s way of appreciating Marwa’s sterling works is to hand him its constructive criticisms and honest commendations whenever there is a need to do so. Doing that will firmly steady his feet on the righteous path of taking out as many people as are willfully taking down the society through their drug deals. That would be a part of his reward for serving humanity so dutifully.
However, Marwa might get it all wrong to allow loads of eulogies coming his way sink in the wrong places.
Those who love Marwa emphasis that he needs to constantly bear in mind that there is always a big room for improvement at the NDLEA. That nugget also seems to be a lamp to his feet.
That aside, more and more people are looking to see Marwa construct strong pillars that will sustain the NDLEA long after his exit. Among those pillars is a well-oiled, easy-to-operate template that will help future anti-drug personnel attain new heights.
A part of this pillar should be regular training and retraining culture at the agency that will place the staff on a good stead to sustain the Marwa legacies.
Those who proffer the foregoing ideas seem to believe that they will hold together, the well-conceived legacy Marwa has so far birthed.
Perhaps, that will be his eternal gift to the country as he faces the exit door.
Now, here is this one. It is sometimes heard in whispers that there are felons in Marwa’s fold – whose intents and purposes are believed to be at cross purposes with the mandate of NDLEA. He needs to bend low to see them. Where they exist, they are the sure tar he needs to tackle.
Born September 9, 1953 in Kaduna, Marwa hails from Michika L.G.A in Adamawa State.
He attended primary schools in Enugu, Zaria, Abeokuta and Lagos between 1960 and 1965, and Nigerian Military School, Zaria, between 1966 and 1970.
Marwa received military training at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna, and was commissioned into Nigeria Army Recce Corps (NARC) in June 1973.
Among other military qualifications, Marwa holds two Masters’ degrees from two US universities and other certificates.
He served in various military establishments across the country, becoming Military Governor of old Borno State between 1990 and 1992. He also served as the Military Administrator of Lagos State between 1996 and 1999 during the military eras of Generals Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar.
He went into business after his posting as governor in Lagos State, and later veered into politics.