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Over 5,000 NDLEA Officers Promoted, 15 Commands, 70 Personnel Get Special Awards
Over 5,000 NDLEA Officers Promoted, 15 Commands, 70 Personnel Get Special Awards
Officers to Start Wearing Body Cameras for Operational Efficiency
By: Michael Mike
Five Thousand and Forty-Two (5,042) personnel of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have been promoted.
This followed the approval of the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the anti-narcotics agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) which saw two senior officers elevated to the rank of Deputy Commander General of Narcotics (DCGN) and 22 others as Assistant Commander General of Narcotics (ACGN) and 66 as Commander of Narcotics (CN).
The promotion, which followed weeks of examination and interviews conducted for qualified candidates, is part of an ongoing exercise to enhance human resource management, particularly on staff motivation and welfare, for efficiency and effectiveness in the achievement of organisational goals.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at an event to decorate some of the promoted officers with their new ranks and reward 15 commands and 70 personnel for outstanding performances in the first half of 2024, Marwa (Rtd) said prompt and timely promotion of all deserving and qualified officers remains top on the agenda of his leadership.
He said: “I am pleased to say that we continue to wax stronger on this journey we embarked on three and a half years ago when we decided to turn around the fortunes of this agency, by improving our performance as a precursor to reversing the perilous drug use situation in our dear country, Nigeria.
“On this occasion of the 8th edition of the commands’ awards and commendations ceremony, we have every reason to be thankful because our performance continuously justifies our conviction in Offensive Action, WADA and other reforms that we undertook.
“For our modest efforts, we have received plaudits at home and abroad. What that means is that we have to do more. The reward for work well done is more work, and in our case, we cannot rest on our oars until all the objectives of our mandate are fully achieved. May I remind us that the bottom-line is a drug-free Nigeria.
“On our part as management, we are trying to keep the motivation going, by ensuring that we provide everything necessary to make this work safe, secure and conducive for everyone working in this agency. Our new barracks in Adamawa, Abuja and Lagos are almost complete and will be commissioned soon. The recent promotion of 5,053 officers speaks volumes about our dedication to prompt and timely promotion of officers. It is symbolic of our effort to break the jinx of stagnation, which was once an albatross for our personnel.
“To further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations, we are creating five strategic commands in Lagos, FCT, MMIA, Apapa and Tincan. Also in this regard, we’ll be deploying body cameras for the use of our officers on strategic operations for the purpose of ensuring their safety and the integrity of such operations.”
He charged officers, men and women of the agency to remain upright in the discharge of their duties, saying that: “Let me also seize this occasion to pass some messages to the NDLEA personnel. We have come a long way. In three and a half years, we have taken down as many as 50 identifiable drug cartels, some of them important spokes in the wheel of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine distribution in the country and the global trafficking network. We have seized a huge quantity of illicit drugs and we have convicted record numbers of drug offenders.
“We have achieved many milestones without soiling our integrity and I expect us to continue on that course. Our core values of integrity, hardwork and transparency, among others, must be respected at all times. We need to continue to justify the trust reposed in us by society, and our government, as well as our international partners and governments supporting us across the globe. We have raised the standard and it must not be lowered at any cost or by any means.
“That is to say, we will not take kindly to any news of infractions, indiscipline or corruption from the field or any command. The least we demand of any officer of this proud agency is to be upright and committed to our goals, while management continues to work on our welfare. The strides of the past three years have put behind us the tribulations of the previous 30 years. We owe the agency allegiance to maintain its integrity. We owe the public a duty to not betray the trust reposed in us. We owe our government, and our partners and stakeholders supporting us a duty to get the job done.
“Therefore, we must not fail in giving the required sacrifice, patriotism, commitment, honesty, hard work, and all the virtues that go along with this important job and service to the nation and mankind. You have my assurances and those of the management of NDLEA that we shall not relent in the pursuit to create the best paradigm of work, welfare and reward for you.”
At the end of the ceremony, the NDLEA boss proceeded to have a closed-door meeting with all commanders and directors where he outlined the tasks ahead for their implementation in their different areas of responsibility.
Over 5,000 NDLEA Officers Promoted, 15 Commands, 70 Personnel Get Special Awards
Nine PAP Foreign Scholarship Beneficiaries Bag Master’s Degrees From UK Varsities
•••771 to Graduate in Nigeria in 2025
•••Otuaro Hails Scholars’ Performances
By: Michael Mike
Nine students awarded foreign post-graduate scholarships by the Presidential Amnesty Programme have graduated from their master’s degree rprogrammes in universities in the United Kingdom.
The successful scholars are the first graduates in the offshore post-graduate scholarship deployment to UK institutions by the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, for the 2024-2025 academic session.
They graduated from the Anglia Ruskin University, University of Dundee and The University of Law with master’s degrees in cyber security, data science and engineering, law, construction and civil engineering management, project management, and ICT.
Also, 711 undergraduate and post-graduate scholarship beneficiaries are expected to graduate from universities within Nigeria this year.
The PAP, on Wednesday, 3 December, 2025, organised a graduation reception for the scholars in London.
Otuaro has congratulated them on their successful graduation, stressing that they completed their programmes in record time which shows the seriousness they had put into their studies.
He said they have justified the Federal Government’s investment in their education with their successful graduation, and urged other beneficiaries not to be distracted in their academic pursuits.
“We congratulate these scholars on their successful graduation. It shows that they took their studies seriously. That is what we demand of every scholarship beneficiary, whether at the undergraduate or post-graduate level”, Otuaro said.
He reiterated his unwavering commitment to expanding the scholarship scheme to create more opportunities for indigent students of Niger Delta extraction to access higher education with a view to closing the human capital development gap in the region.
Otuaro said it was for this reason he deployed 3800 beneficiaries in-country in the 2024-2025 academic year, and increased the figure to 3900 in the 2025-2026 academic session with 200 for foreign scholarships.
Otuaro has so far deployed 7700 students for the PAP scholarship scheme within Nigeria in less than two years.
Within this period, also, he has also deployed 162 students from the region for post-graduate programmes in targeted disciplines in the UK universities.
According to him, this is in conformity with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu for the Niger Delta, who has given unprecedented support to the PAP because of his sincere love for the area.
The PAP boss said, “Our decision aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for the Niger Delta. We will continue to create more higher educational opportunities for students from indigent backgrounds in our region.
“We are also deepening the implementation of the programme’s mandate in informal education and other areas for the sustainable peace and socio-economic advancement of the region.”
Nine PAP Foreign Scholarship Beneficiaries Bag Master’s Degrees From UK Varsities
Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited Established for Realization of Ondo Project
By: Michael Mike
Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited has been incorporated to seamlessly allowed for the Refinery and Free Trade Zone in Ondo State.
A press statement on Thursday read that: “In furtherance of our commitment to the execution of these two major projects – Refinery and Free Trade Zone in conjunction with the Ondo State Government, the joint partners have taken another giant step by incorporating a joint company, namely – SUNSHINE JOINT VENTURE INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED – as the vehicle to be used in executing these projects. A move that further reinforces the sincerity of purpose and total commitment of the funding partners to move ahead together as a united front.
According to the release by Wale Adekola on behalf of the JV, the Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limitedwill, going forward serve as the vehicle to work with the Ondo State Government through the Ondo State Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) in the implementation of the executed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
The statement added that: “In moving the projects forward for implementation, the JV team met in Dubai to finalize the funding modalities and put in place structures and plans for the commencement of activities for ground breaking and community engagements. These initial activities are aimed at complementing the 50th Anniversary of the creation of Ondo State and the one year anniversary of the election of the Executive Governor of the Sunshine State, His Excellency, Chief Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa CFR.
At the Dubai meeting were key officers of the JV Company, including: Messrs SALEHI FARHAD; ZAHERI NAVID; EGHBAL KORDJAMSHIDI; SAHEED ZAHERI; DR. STEPHEN DIKE; HENRY OWONKA AND MRS. NAMVAR MARYAM.
The statement further informed that, plans have been concluded to mobilize the relevant contractors working with the locals and host communities to put up structures that will host the information center, architectural models to showcase the projects on offer and facilities that will serve the team. All these are being planned with ONDIPA to execute the relocation and accommodation of the host communities that are likely to be affected by the projects and create a seamless transition that will engender peaceful co-existence and harmonious relationship with our host communities.
The JV company further reiterated its commitment to work with Ondo State Government (through ONDIPA) to change the infrastructural landscape of the Sunshine State and for mutual benefits.
Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited Established for Realization of Ondo Project
Edo: Seven suspected bandits arrested along Benin-Agbor Road
By: Zagazola Makama
Seven suspected bandits were arrested along the Benin–Agbor Road in Edo State during stop-and-search operations, security sources confirmed.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the suspects, all Fulani youths, were intercepted after being offloaded from a truck at about 1800 hours on 2 December 2025. A search revealed pictures of assault rifles, including AK-47s, on their mobile phones.
Upon interrogation, the suspects claimed to have travelled from Adamawa State. Investigations are ongoing for the possible recovery of actual firearms and to determine their involvement in criminal activities.
Security agencies have urged members of the public to report any suspicious movements to help prevent criminal acts in the area.
Edo: Seven suspected bandits arrested along Benin-Agbor Road
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