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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo and the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, have pledged full support for the national campaign against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
The two leaders made the declaration on Wednesday when the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), took the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy to Benin City.
“Drugs at the root of crime”
Receiving Marwa and his team on a courtesy visit at Government House, Okpebholo said he had admired the NDLEA chairman from afar since his secondary school days.
He said the fight against drugs must be a collective effort because narcotics lay at the root of most crimes.
“At the root of virtually every crime is the issue of drugs. From our experience, even kidnappers first ask their victims for drugs before demanding ransom. That shows that illicit drug is our enemy,” he said.
The governor commended the NDLEA command in Edo and promised the state government’s backing. “We are ready to work with you, we are ready to partner with you, and we are ready to support you with any request you bring before us,” he said.
Marwa, in his response, praised Okpebholo for the developmental strides recorded in a short time in office and for his firm stance against illicit drugs.
The NDLEA boss said the main purpose of the visit was to introduce the agency’s Alternative Development Programme to Edo. The scheme, introduced last year, is designed to wean cannabis growers off illicit cropping and onto legitimate crops and sustainable livelihoods.
According to him, the pilot phase, launched in Ondo State in January, has produced impressive results, hence the decision to extend it to Edo. He sought the governor’s buy-in, along with more logistics support for NDLEA operations in the state.
The high point of the visit was the decoration of Okpebholo as a WADA Grand Ambassador in recognition of his commitment to the fight against drug abuse and trafficking in the state.
Marwa and his team later paid a homage visit to the Oba of Benin at his palace, where he described drug abuse as one of the three leading problems facing Nigeria today.
He said over 15 million Nigerians abused drugs, a prevalence rate about three times the global average, adding that the problem had spread into schools and communities across the country, including the Benin Kingdom.
Marwa disclosed that the agency arrested over 1,200 drug traffickers and seized more than 30 tonnes of illicit substances in Edo last year.
He added that, of the 16 million kilograms of assorted illicit substances seized nationwide in the past five years, 75 per cent was cannabis, which is cultivated locally, with Edo among the producing states.
“It is the job of the NDLEA to enforce the law against drug trafficking, and as well help those who are addicted to drugs with counselling, treatment and rehabilitation. But this is an assignment that we cannot do alone. It is a whole-of-society approach. We need the traditional institutions, the church, CSOs, government and the media, because all hands must be on deck,” he said.
He stressed the role of traditional institutions in particular, saying no other institution in the country commanded comparable respect.
Marwa acknowledged the Oba’s support in the fight against drugs and other social ills, noting that the monarch’s intervention had helped reduce human trafficking in the kingdom.
He sought the Oba’s blessing for communities across the kingdom to abstain from drug cultivation and trading, and for the Alternative Development Programme, which the governor had welcomed earlier in the day.
Explaining the scheme, Marwa said Nigeria was the first country in Africa to adopt alternative development as a strategic pillar of drug control. He said the approach had been welcomed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and endorsed by the Federal Government as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Under the programme, cannabis growers are encouraged to switch to crops such as cassava, yam and maize. The federal and state governments and the NDLEA provide farm inputs and community infrastructure, including roads, schools, clinics and water supply.
“The growers themselves have confided in us that they are grateful for this initiative. Even though there is more money in cannabis, they will at least have peace of mind when they cultivate licit crops. With cannabis, they are perpetually ill at ease in their homes with their families for fear of NDLEA,” he said.
“Oba’s response”
The Oba of Benin thanked Marwa for the visit and for recognising the kingdom’s culture and its efforts against drug abuse.
“Thank you very much for recognising the work of Benin, the people and the culture of the people, and also the efforts we have been making to fight the scourge of drug abuse,” he said.
The monarch added that he had a suggestion on how to improve the agency’s work, but preferred to submit it privately.
“I have a suggestion that I will make in writing to NDLEA. I would not want to state it here in public,” he said, promising to forward it directly to the chairman.
“Transport workers, religious leaders”
As part of the Edo campaign, Marwa also met separately with leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state, led by Comrade Saturday Oamen.
He urged them to use their platforms to sensitise members and followers against drug abuse and trafficking, and to partner with the NDLEA to keep the state’s roads, motor parks and communities free of illicit drugs.
He is scheduled to address religious and civil society leaders on Thursday.
