President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the reappointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), extending his tenure for another five years.
In a statement Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga said the new term means Marwa will lead the agency until 2031.
Marwa was first appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021, following his role as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse between 2018 and 2020.
A retired military officer from Adamawa State, Marwa previously served as military governor of Lagos and Borno States. A graduate of the Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1973. His career includes appointments as brigade major of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Aide-de-Camp to then Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, and academic registrar of the NDA. He also served as Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and later as Defence Adviser at Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Marwa holds two advanced degrees: a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.
His stewardship at the NDLEA has been marked by significant breakthroughs, including the arrest of more than 73,000 drug traffickers and the seizure of over 15 million kilogrammes of illicit drugs. The agency has also intensified nationwide campaigns against drug abuse under his leadership.
President Tinubu described Marwa’s reappointment as a vote of confidence in his leadership and achievements. “I urge you not to relent in tracking the merchants of hard drugs out to destroy our people, especially the young ones,” the President said.
