NDLEA Relocates to New Headquarters in Abuja

By: Michael Mike

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has relocated its headquarters to its new facility, which is being developed in phases in Jahi area of Abuja.

A statement by the spokesperson of the agency, Femi Babafemi said the facility, which is the first phase of the national headquarters project expected to be completed with the 2025 budgetary provisions, was officially unveiled during an interdenominational service within the complex on Wednesday.

Speaking during the brief ceremony, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) said the development represents a phase in the transformation and recalibration of NDLEA into a modern and result-oriented anti-narcotic agency, a process that began in January 2021.

He said: “I’m glad we have finally moved in to occupy this facility after initial budgetary constraints. Even though this is the first phase of the new headquarters project, we are hopeful that we will be able to complete the process with next year budget. This is not 100% completed but it is sufficiently functional for us to move in because I was determined to move in before the end of 2024 because with the expansion of the Agency the headquarters also expanded, and in our old location we could not accommodate everyone. I have had to post out scores of officers due to lack of space for them to work.

“It was for this reason that the management took a unanimous decision that since it is not 100% ready and we need it, we should make it a low-key inauguration ceremony. This will enable us relocate some of our directorates still operating outside Abuja into one facility to consolidate our operations for efficiency, effectiveness and seamless coordination”, Marwa stated.

He disclosed that the old head office in Gimbiya, Garki area of the FCT will continue to serve as the headquarters annex, the NDLEA boss expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his continued support and encouragement to the Agency to be in a position to achieve its mandate of curbing substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the country.

He said: “The support we are getting from our international partners and local stakeholders especially President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Judiciary and the citizenry, is not just to appreciate our efforts but to encourage us to do more and I believe this new work environment will motivate you to surpass past feats.”

He commended his predecessor for starting the process of getting a befitting headquarters for the agency.

In his welcome remark, Secretary to the agency, Shadrach Haruna, commended Marwa for providing inspiring leadership that has in three years transformed NDLEA into the same class with its counterparts across the world in terms of professionalism, capability and capacity.

He said: “The commissioning of our headquarters today is part of the incremental but well-laid agenda for the repositioning of the Agency by the chairman. We have witnessed some monumental achievements since 2021, including increasing the staff strength of the Agency from 5,000 to 15,000. Promotion of officers, opening up of vacancies, payment of accumulated allowances to staff and widows of our fallen officers, the recent amendment of the ange enabling law by the National Assembly, and many more.

Christian and Islamic prayers were offered for President Tinubu and Nigeria while a commemorative plaque was unveiled to mark the event.

NDLEA Relocates to New Headquarters in Abuja

Zulum Reaffirms Commitment to Dignified Resettlement of Boko Haram Victims

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has reiterated his administration’s unwavering commitment to resettling victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in a dignified and sustainable manner.

The Governor made this pledge during a courtesy visit by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, on Tuesday, at the Government House in Maiduguri.

Addressing the ongoing challenges faced by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Governor Zulum stressed the unsustainability of prolonged stays in IDP camps, citing donor fatigue as a pressing concern.

“IDPs have stayed too long in camps; it is no longer sustainable. We want them to move out and earn their livelihoods. While UN organizations and NGOs have done commendable work, there is no consistent funding to sustain people in these camps,” Zulum stated.

The Governor emphasized the need for durable and sustainable solutions to address humanitarian challenges, including the resettlement and empowerment of displaced persons.

He pledged to collaborate closely with agencies under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to expedite the safe and dignified repatriation of refugees.

In response, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, announced the ministry’s plans to integrate Borno’s humanitarian model into a comprehensive Humanitarian Response Plan.

He commended Governor Zulum for his focus on return, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts, which have been pivotal in restoring infrastructure and reviving social life in the state.

“Governor Zulum has provided exemplary leadership by aligning state efforts with national and international partners, ensuring that livelihoods and social activities are gradually returning to Borno,” the Minister remarked.

The Minister further outlined plans for the repatriation and reintegration of Nigerian refugees back to their ancestral homes, with a commitment to empowering them towards self-reliance.

The Minister was accompanied by Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, Hon. Tijani Aliyu Ahmed, Senior Special Assistant to the President on School Feeding Programme, Dr. Yetunde Adeniji, along with senior officials from the ministry.

Zulum Reaffirms Commitment to Dignified Resettlement of Boko Haram Victims

Prof. Dakum Empathizes with Victims of Laranto Market

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, IHVN, and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine, Baltimore USA, Professor Patrick Dakum recently sympathized with residents affected by the Sunday fire which engulfed the Laranto Market in Jos North council Area of the State.

Dakum in a statement said he was aware goods running into hundreds of millions of naira were gutted by a sudden fire and destroyed.

The Plateau State Labour Party, Governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections, lamented that the fire was a setback and colossal frustration to its victims at this period of advanced scourging, excruciating heat where most of the residents of the country was gasping for breathe for survival and trying to make ends meet.

Dakum regretted that the fire was also a paralyzing blow to the economy of the state, as peoples means of livelihood that will generated revenue for government has been destroyed.

Dakum regretted the recurring yearly inferno at the market over the years, and called on the government to as a matter of urgency investigate the perpetual cause of the incessant inferno and suggest lasting solution to it.

Dakum called on Governor Caleb Mutfwang not to hesitate in keeping his promises to the traders and rebuilding of the market accordingly.

The former Commissioner of Health and Information, exhort traders and citizens to be fire outbreak conscious and ensure to have fire extinguishers at home, schools and other business premises, and to switch off their electrical appliances as soon as power goes off to avoid fire disasters to their properties at the instance of power returns.

Prof. Dakum Empathizes with Victims of Laranto Market