NDLEA decorates 68 promoted officers, launches war against drug abuse in Kebbi
The National Law Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),in Kebbi State, has launched War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) and decorated 68 newly promoted officers and men to their next ranks in the agency.
While launching WADA and decorating the officers in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday, the State Commander of the agency, CN, Peter Onche- Odaudu, said that the agency under Marwa was in a flux and was being reinvigorated and positioned for better service delivery.
“The increased spate of arrests and seizures, even of hitherto uncommon drugs like captagon, the fighters’ drugs, all over the country easily prove my above thesis.
“Having inherited a very poorly funded orge, with morale at its lowest ebb, the immediate task before the chairman of the agency was to raise the morale of the officers and men.
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“One cause of the low morale which was identified, was the stagnation of the personnel on particular ranks for a very long time.
“Marwa’s response to the above misnomer was to rise with alacrity and set up a harmonization and promotion committee, barely two weeks into his stewardship of the drug outfit.
“The result of the committee’s work is that unprecedentedly, about 70 per cent of the agency’s workforce benefitted from a lift to higher ranks.
“This decoration today is a fallout of that benevolence of the chairman, ” he said.
On fight against drug abuse, Onche Odaudu, said that the fight was borne of of the stark reality of the extent of drug abuse starring the country in the face, adding that about 14 million Nigerians abuse cannabis sativa alone.
“WADA couldn’t have been initiated at a better time, entailing that we all must enlist in the drug- war army.
“WADA places a demand on us to lead a war that requires us to mobilise our families, communities, the state and entire country about the dangers that we face with drug abuse.
“How to say no to drugs; his to prevail on those using drugs to stop; how to encourage those with drug use disorder to seek treatment and how to give wide publicity in terms of public awareness, at all levels,” the commander explained.
In his remarks, the Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Samaila Yombe Dabai, charged the officers of the agency to crush drug cartels and tackle the menace of drug abuse in the state.
“If you know how drug abuse is eroding our society and how our families and children are involved, you would not walk out of this very hall we are now.
“Hence, I urge the general public to, please, join and dedicate yourselves in the fight against drug abuse,” he enjoined.
The newly promoted Commander of Narcotics, Abdullahi Fakai, who spoke on behalf of the officers, thanked the agency for elevating them to their new ranks and assured that they would work hard to justify their new promotion in the service of the country.
The Chairman of the agency, retired, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, had on June 17 approved the promotion of 3,506 officers and men to their next ranks thus breaking the jinx of long years of stagnation in the agency.
The WADA was launched by President Muhammadu Buhari, on June 26, in Abuja, given a marching order to do same in other states.
