President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the renewal of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa’s (rtd) appointment as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for another five-year term.
The announcement was made on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
According to the statement, President Tinubu praised Marwa’s efforts in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse, saying:
“Your reappointment is a vote of confidence in your tireless work to rid our country of the menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse. I urge you not to relent in tracking down the merchants of hard drugs destroying our people, especially the youth.”
Marwa was first appointed to lead the NDLEA by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021. Before that, he served as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse from 2018 to 2020.
With this renewal, the Adamawa-born retired military officer will continue to lead the NDLEA until 2031.
A distinguished career officer, 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 (NDA). Since his commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in 1973, he has held notable roles including Brigade Major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to then Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, and Academic Registrar of the NDA.
He also served internationally as Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and later as Defence Adviser to the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Marwa holds two postgraduate degrees:
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Master of Public and International Affairs – University of Pittsburgh (1983–1985)
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Master of Public Administration – Harvard University (1985–1986)
Under his leadership, the NDLEA has recorded significant achievements, including the arrest of over 73,000 drug traffickers and the seizure of more than 15 million kilogrammes of illicit drugs. The agency has also strengthened nationwide campaigns against drug abuse.
