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WDD: Tinubu Seeks Global Action On Drug Abuse
President Bola Tinubu yesterday called on the international community to intensify collective action against the growing global drug crisis, warning of its devastating impact on public health, security, and development.
Speaking during the World Drug Day 2025, Tinubu described the drug epidemic as one of the most urgent challenges of the era. He stressed that no country is immune to its far-reaching consequences.
The President said the theme of this year’s observance, ‘The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention’, is both timely and urgent.”
President Tinubu, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, warned that drug abuse destroys lives, tears families apart, and fuels insecurity.
“Violent crimes have been closely linked to substance abuse,” he said.
He expressed appreciation to global stakeholders and commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), led by Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), for its expanded role in enforcement, prevention, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
Emphasising a holistic and compassionate approach, Tinubu declared: “Drug dependence is not a moral failing. Recovery is a journey that requires supportive environments, mental health care, safe housing, and a society that offers second chances.”
He advocated stronger investment in school-based initiatives, grassroots mobilisation, and youth-focused campaigns to encourage informed choices and drug-free living.
The President also linked drug abuse to broader socio-economic issues such as poverty, inequality, and violence, noting that any effective strategy must be anchored in inclusive development and human rights protection.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to international cooperation, Tinubu pledged to deepen partnerships, strengthen enforcement, and promote sustainable solutions under his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Let us seize this moment not just to reflect, but to act,” he urged, adding, “Together, we can build a future where prevention is effective, treatment is accessible, and recovery is celebrated.”
At the World Drug Day event held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), issued a stark warning about Nigeria’s escalating drug crisis, linking over 90 percent of terrorism, kidnapping, and violent crimes to drug use.
“The evidence is clear, drug abuse is driving violent crime in Nigeria,” Marwa said.
“More than 90 percent of those involved in terrorism, kidnapping, and violence are drug users,” he added.
The NDLEA boss described the threat as widespread and no longer confined to the streets, but now infiltrating schools, homes, and communities.
With Nigeria’s population exceeding 230 million, Marwa urged that prevention be recognised as a national security imperative.
Citing the 2024 World Drug Report, he noted that global drug use has risen to over 290 million people, up 20 percent in the past decade, while Africa could see a 40 percent surge by 2030 unless urgent action is taken.
He also referenced the 2018 National Drug Use Survey, which showed that 14.4% of Nigerians aged 15-64 (approximately 14.3 million people) used drugs, almost triple the global average.
“We had 10.6 million cannabis users alone. That’s more than the population of some countries,” he added.
Marwa outlined NDLEA’s three-pronged strategy, prevention, rehabilitation, and enforcement.
Under prevention, he said the agency had intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting over 11,000 sensitisation programs nationwide in schools, markets, places of worship, motor parks, and workplaces.
He highlighted the growing adoption of drug integrity testing in universities and institutions as a condition for admission and employment.
“We are promoting early detection in families through the Save Our Families initiative. Parents must ask questions, teachers must instil values, and the media must amplify the urgency of this fight,” he said.
On rehabilitation, Marwa said the agency operates 30 treatment centres, where over 26,000 individuals have received care in the past 18 months. Seven more centres have been approved in the 2025 budget, bringing the total to 37, with one in each state and the FCT.
He also revealed plans to launch a dedicated NDLEA radio station by year-end to enhance awareness and advocacy.
On the enforcement front, Marwa reported that in the last four and a half years, the agency has arrested over 66,000 drug offenders, including 94 drug barons.
The anti-drug czar said the agency also seized 11.1 million kilograms of illicit drugs, and secured more than 12,000 convictions, with some offenders serving life sentences.
He commended the Tinubu administration, the National Assembly, state governors, and security agencies for their support, while acknowledging key international partners including the UNODC, European Union, US DEA, UK Home Office, and the governments of France, India, Saudi Arabia, and Germany.
“We’ve made progress, but the task ahead is enormous,” Marwa said, adding that “Drug abuse is not just a health issue, it’s a governance, security, and moral issue.”
The NDLEA boss in his closing remarks, made a passionate appeal that, “Our children don’t just need money, they need presence, values, and discipline. Let us invest in prevention today so we don’t pay the price of rehabilitation tomorrow.”
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.
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