Leading and foremost civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has named the Executive Chairman of the Nigerian Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mohammed Buba Marwa, the Human Rights Man of the Year for 2022
“Several polls conducted have shown a clear consensus that Mohammed Buba Marwa is one Nigerian who has personally and officially affected the news and lives of Nigerians the most in recent times, with his very aggressive but human rights-based approach to drug policy.
“In just 24 months, Marwa has not just earned the image of the protagonist of the most topical human rights and developmental issues but as well distinguished himself as a courageous and insightful leader who understands the urgent need to embrace a multi-dimensional and holistic approach that aims to mitigate the harm done by drug use instead of the retrogressive traditional just-say-no-ism of past chief executives,”HURIWA noted in a statement.
The statement signed by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, further revealed the many areas NDLEA has been seen to be blazing the trail in drug law enforcement and how the approach adopted by the Marwa-led administration is winning the confidence of Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora.
Highlighting the innovative approaches adopted by Marwa, HURIWA defined him as a very focused and assiduous person who plans, asserting that his tenure as chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse (PACEDA), which laid the groundwork for the total overhaul of NDLEA, ensured he arrived at NDLEA with a blueprint.
“Within 24 months, his plans are taking shape and it is obvious to the public that he and his management team are caught in a historic moment and process of rebuilding NDLEA into an institution that will stand the test of time.
“One of the approaches adopted by Marwa is the collaboration with the Nigerian movie industry in the drug war. In his view, millions of young people watching Nigerian movies, even as they admire star actors, will be easily sensitised on the dangers of drug abuse through didactic stories.
“To achieve this, NDLEA opted for the United Nations Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking to release engaging flicks that will aid their work. For the second year in a row, NDLEA has celebrated the UN Special Day with new movies.
“Again, the seizure of a massive crack cocaine haul in September, which was described by the spokesperson of the agency as “the biggest singular cocaine seizure in the history of Nigeria’s premier anti-narcotic agency,” tells volumes about the new life Marwa has breathed into the agency.”
