Nigeria targets tougher war on drugs with new five-year master plan

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says a new five-year strategy aimed at tackling drug abuse and trafficking will significantly strengthen the country’s drug control efforts.

According to a statement signed by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency’s chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, said the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) 2026–2030 would build on existing gains and have a positive impact on public health and national security once fully implemented.

Brigadier General Marwa (retd) was speaking at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja on Thursday while receiving a final evaluation report on the performance of the 2021–2025 master plan. He said preparations for the next phase were being handled with what he described as a “serious and holistic” approach.

He praised a team of consultants led by Ibrahim Abdu Wakawa of the University of Maiduguri for what he called an excellent assessment of the outgoing plan, noting that the report acknowledged progress made in both drug supply and demand reduction.

Mr Marwa said he was confident that the 2026–2030 plan would deliver even stronger results under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to the benefit of Nigerians.

Earlier, Professor Wakawa commended the NDLEA’s leadership, saying the agency had exceeded many of the targets set out in the 2021–2025 plan. He added that any gaps identified, particularly in reducing demand for illicit drugs, could be addressed in the next implementation phase.

The evaluation team also included two former senior NDLEA officials, Ngozi Oguejiofor and Ibiba Odili, both retired assistant commander generals of narcotics who previously headed the NDCMP secretariat at different times.