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By Steve Agbota
Chairman of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), yesterday said the agency seized more than 5.4 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs from drug traffickers in the country.
Marwa, who was represented by the agency’s Director, Seaports Operation, Omolade Faboyede, made the disclosure at the annual conference and awards of the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON), with the theme; “Maximising Nigeria’s Blue Economy Through Automation,” said the agency was able to convict about 2,904 convictions and arrested of over 18,940 drug traffickers.
He, however, noted that for Nigeria to achieve the much desired Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through a 24-hour clearance of goods at the ports, the maritime activities must be automated.
He said the maritime sector should, therefore, be driven by efficiency and effectiveness in her operations, adding that the problem of substance abuse in the country, if not adequately addressed, may be a huge hindrance to this anticipated drive for an improved economy.
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He said: “A drug-free workforce is, therefore, key to this drive. In consideration of the enormous security and safety hazards orchestrated by drug trafficking and abuse, the NDLEA, in partnership with the United Nations Office On Drug Control (UNODC), with funding from the European Union, recently launched a five-year National Drug Control Master plan (2021-2025).”
He explained that the master plan, which implementation has started, was aimed, among others, to ensure the safety and health of everyone living in Nigeria through drug control, adding that the national drug control master plan anchors on four strategic pillars of drug supply reduction, drug demand reduction, access to controlled medicines for medical purposes and governance/politics.
He said the maritime sector, by the nature of its operations, features prominently in the two major strategic pillars of drug supply and reduction, hence, the importance of the sector in the agency’s drug control efforts.
Regrettably, he noted that some major drug shipments were usually done through the sea, adding that the personnel working in that sector equally need to be shielded from drug use and dependency for better productivity.
“There is, therefore, a need for the NDLEA and the maritime sector to employ a synergistic approach to drug control. It is, therefore, necessary to develop automated systems in the maritime environment that will establish incidences of drug use and aiding of drug importation or exportation,” he advised.
He said comprehensive drug tests should be carried out on every personnel boarding the nation’s ship, adding that automated rummaging of the ship is equally critical in ridding the ship compartments of every trace of drug.
Marwa bemoaned high use of illicit drugs, which majorly affected the mental health of the users and resulted in crimes in the country, adding that some of the drugs abused include; heroin, tramadol, codeine, morphine, amphetamine, and cannabis.
