News
President Tinubu rallies support for drug war, assures NDLEA of more help

President Tinubu rallies support for drug war, assures NDLEA of more help
By: Michael Mike
President Bola Tinubu has given express support to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in its ongoing fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking as well as its ramped-up efforts to prevent the Nigerian populace from falling prey to the drug scourge.
The President gave the assurance on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, otherwise known as World Drug Day on Wednesday at the State House Conference Centre Abuja.
Speaking on the theme of the day, which is “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention,” President Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, said: “I enjoin all and sundry to support the War Against Drug Abuse initiative, otherwise known as the WADA campaign, launched by NDLEA three years ago. I commend and urge everyone to redouble their efforts to combat drug abuse and trafficking in the country.
“On this score, I wish to reassure you of this administration’s support. The Renewed Hope Agenda places the youth at the centre of its focus. Therefore, we ensure that our young people are protected from anything that could derail their future or destroy their potential.”
The President, while noting that illicit drugs and substances have wreaked havoc on individuals, families, communities and countries worldwide, said: “In the face of such a formidable challenge, prevention is the most potent weapon that we can deploy. Prevention not only saves lives; it also saves resources that would otherwise be spent on treatment and rehabilitation. It empowers individuals to make informed choices, promotes healthy lifestyles and creates resilient communities capable of withstanding the pressures of drug abuse.

“Investing in prevention is not merely a moral imperative, a prudent way of safeguarding our future. By allocating resources towards evidence-based prevention programmes, we can break the vicious cycle of drug abuse and protect our youth from falling prey to the menace.”
The President added that “The assignment before us as a country requires that we prioritise evidence-based prevention strategies, allocate adequate resources and foster partnerships for greater impact.”
He consequently gave strong assurances that: “This government will support NDLEA to build on the success recorded in the past few years. We shall work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that we have positive statistics from the next national drug use survey that will be conducted in the country.”
He urged all Nigerians to join hands in this noble cause, noting that: “This is an assignment for all patriotic citizens of this country, including religious leaders, traditional leaders, educational institutions, opinion leaders, and civil society organisations.”
He noted that: “NDLEA has created a formidable platform for cooperation vis-à-vis its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy initiative.”
In his welcome remark, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) said that the ‘Save Our Families’ social advocacy campaign launched at the ceremony by the President, is designed to prevent and tackle drug use through early detection and intervention by making the Agency’s newly produced special drug test kits a necessity in every home, schools and workplaces.
According to him, “The Agency has introduced the Drug Integrity Test initiative anticipated to metamorphose into an anti-drug culture for every Nigerian. The test is intended for secondary school students, students seeking admission into tertiary institutions and returning students, workers in government and private offices and individuals seeking political offices as well as prospective couples before taking their marriage vows. The drug test will serve as a tool for the prevention of drug use and early detection of the individual’s status of drug use for the purpose of appropriate intervention including treatment and rehabilitation. Let me also add that our drug integrity test, which has been adopted by some government institutions and tertiary institutions in the country, is a preventive mechanism.
“As a result, we have produced tens of thousands of special test kits capable of detecting 15 different substances, now available in all our commands across the country. This is for use in homes, schools, workplaces and others. Apart from helping in early detection of drug abuse especially by our youths so that we can get them help in form of treatment, this will also create some deterrence effects.”
Speaking on the theme for this year’s World Drug Day, Marwa said drug use prevention lies at the heart of NDLEA’s strategy in addressing the drug problem because it is far more effective and cost-efficient to prevent drug abuse than to deal with its consequences.
Marwa said: “In this regard, we have used our War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy initiative to campaign vigorously at the grassroots and create awareness for our people to shun illicit substances. WADA is a sensitization and advocacy initiative that employs the whole of society approach to engage all stakeholders including the Government sectors, institutions, and Non-Governmental Organisations with emphasis on youths in and out of school, community gatekeepers including traditional and community leaders, as well as religious leaders among others. I am proud to state that the programme has been a tremendous success as an effective tool of advocacy for social action and an awareness driven vehicle for public engagement and collaboration against the drug scourge.
“For instance, between 2021 and 2024, the Agency embarked on 6,423 sensitization and education programmes targeting young people in school and 987 programmes for Out of School youths in order to create awareness on the dangers associated with drug use. This is in addition to the millions of homes reached with our anti-substance abuse messages through our aggressive and impactful media campaigns using various traditional and new media platforms.”
He noted that apart from the various plans and initiatives deployed as preventive measures against the availability and access of illicit substances as well as their abuse by citizens, the Agency has been providing counselling and treatment for people struggling with drug dependence across 30 of its treatment and counselling centres nationwide where 33, 453 drug users had been treated in three and a half years.
The outgoing UNODC Country Representative, Dr. Oliver Stolpe also made a number of recommendations. “After the exceptionally successful testing of the school-based drug prevention programme UNPLUGGED involving half a million secondary school children in Nigeria, the programme should be rolled out to all 28, 000 public and private secondary schools. We need to enhance the resilience against drug use among the millions of out-of-school children, for example through sports-based initiatives such as LINE UP LIVE UP (LULU). Furthermore, we need to strengthen families in their ability to recognise and address drug use in effective and constructive ways.”
Stolpe further said: “Most importantly, there is an urgent need to repeat the 2018 national drug use survey. Without up-to-date data, there is no way in which we can assess whether our collective efforts have long-term impact and address the actual priorities.”
The Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, who emphasized the importance of testing in schools expressed the ministry’s support for NDLEA drug test campaign while he called on agencies of government “to work together and support all these efforts.”
According to him: “The most important place where this prevention fight should start is the education sector. And we will do our own part, even last week, it was something we considered and promised to review the existing policies so that we can work with NDLEA to take it to secondary schools and primary schools. To establish at all levels compulsory and sustained testing. It has to be compulsory and sustained, right through the years and period of their education.”
Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, Hon. Abass Adigun on his part called for more budgetary provisions for NDLEA in the face of its multi-faceted mandate. “We at the national assembly are ready to work with the NDLEA and we need the federal government to look into this.”
Others who spoke in the same light include Senator Sadiq Umar who represented the Senate President; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN; Chairman of MTN Foundation, Prince Julius Adelusi Adeluyi and guest lecturer at the event, Dr. Vincent Udenze of Intersect Consortium, among others.
President Tinubu rallies support for drug war, assures NDLEA of more help
News
Turkiye Condoles Nigeria over Passing of Buhari

Turkiye Condoles Nigeria over Passing of Buhari
By: Michael Mike
The Turkish government has condoled with the government and people of Nigeria over the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari who died on Sunday at the age of 82 after a prolonged illness was buried in his hometown, Daura, Katsina State on Tuesday.
Speaking on occassion on the 9th anniversary of the attempted forceful change of government in Turkey, the Turkish Ambasssdor designate, Mehmet Poroy said “the government of Turkey expressed its deep condolences to the people and the government of Nigeria, on the passing of the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari.”
Leading dignitaries at the occasion to observed a minute of silence, the ambassador also prayed that the Almighty Allah bless his soul.
Speaking on the July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day ceremony, Poroy said its a day set aside to honour the memories of those who died in the process of defending democracy.
He said: “On this July 15th, Democracy and National Unity Day, I extend my respectful greetings to all our citizens and honour the memory of our heroic martyrs who gave their lives for the preservation of democratic and independent Turkey. I would like to thank once again for your presence here today in our embassy. We are grateful to you, dear friends, for sharing our feelings on the anniversary of this attempted coup, a direct threat to democracy and the will of our people in Turkey.”
The envoy also disclosed that over 200 institutions run by the group suspected to be behind the attempted coup has been taken over by Turkish institutions.
He noted that: “The fact that new investigations and arrests into the organisation continue to be launched, demonstrates the need for this struggle to be pursued with unwavering determination.”
Turkiye Condoles Nigeria over Passing of Buhari
News
UN Reaffirms Commitment to Building Act of Diplomacy in Young Nigerians

UN Reaffirms Commitment to Building Act of Diplomacy in Young Nigerians
By: Michael Mike
United Nations has reiterated its commitment to supporting young Nigerians imbibe diplomacy as skills to ensure a better future.
The commitment was made on Tuesday by the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr Mohamed Fall, in Abuja at the inaugural Premiere Academy International Model UN (PAIMUN) conference organised by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Nigeria.

The conference, which is centered on commemorating the 80th anniversary since the founding of the United Nations, seeks to promote peace, tolerance, diplomacy and consensus building amongst youths.
Fall said while delivering a welcome address at the maiden Premiere Academy International Model UN (PAIMUN) that Nigeria has an undoubtedly commitment to the UN and its many goals.
He said: “Nigeria joined the UN shortly after gaining independence and since then it has a key player, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN is from Nigeria.
“It is critical we take UN out of formal space like interaction with government, get young people and civil society involved and because more than ever, UN goals and ideals are needed.
“Let us not forget that UN was established to prevent conflict, promote security, human dignity and development, as well as provide assistance to the most vulnerable and leave no one behind.
“It is time for us, to double down, reinforce them, and spread this message. What I have seen young people do in this regard is part of it, because the future is theirs,

“Getting them trained and know how UN functions, learn diplomacy, learn tactful way of solving and peaceful way of solving difference is something which is really critical in today’s world.”
He promised to improve on the maiden edition of the conference beyond Abuja and a specific school, in order to accommodate the 36 states and all local government areas in the country.
He noted that the UN Charter started with people and the people are not only the government, but also those who are hard to reach and most vulnerable.
Fall said: “It is everyone, those who are female, those who live with disability, and I think the notion of inclusion of UN has found expression in this principle of we the people.
“Young people to understand that the future is theirs. Today’s and tomorrow’s shape have to be done by them. It is their call.
“The same way the generation of those who came out of the Second World War created UN for building peace and security. It is their time and their call to take the challenge of today.
“The challenge today are conflict, insecurity, climate-related shock, poverty and inequality, they have to take it and that is my appeal to all young people,” Fall advised.
The Principal of Premier Academy, Mr Christopher Akinsowon, on his part, commended the conference for helping the students to better understand the operation of the UN General Assembly.
He said: “What we are doing here is a simulation of the UN General Assembly. This very section teaches not only students, even we adults, the process of diplomacy.
“Such that we can resolve all issues in a very diplomatic way, as against fighting, war and aggression.
“If all states and local governments in Nigeria adopted diplomacy, there will not be so much war or crises here and there; we will talk it out instead of war.
“So, that is what we here to inculcate in these young minds, because very soon they will be
the ones that will take over as leaders, whether you like it or not.”
Highpoint of the PAIMUN conference attended by 109-students was the students playing the roles of ambassadors of UN Member States with focus on UN@80: “Building the future together.”
UN Reaffirms Commitment to Building Act of Diplomacy in Young Nigerians
News
ECOWAS Court to Deliver Ruling in a Case Brought by Ghana’s Chief Justice

ECOWAS Court to Deliver Ruling in a Case Brought by Ghana’s Chief Justice
By: Michael Mike
The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS on Monday, 14 July 2025 adjourned for a ruling on an application for provisional measures brought by the Chief Justice of Ghana, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, and the preliminary objections raised by the Republic of Ghana. The initiating application with suit No.
ECW/CCJ/APP/32/25, filed by the Chief Justice of Ghana, sought a suspension of ongoing proceedings to remove her from office and her reinstatement with full entitlements, pending the determination of the substantive matter before the Court. During the hearing, the Respondent requested that its jurisdictional objection be heard first as it pertains to the Court’s power to determine the request for provisional measures. It argued that the Court lacked jurisdiction and that the application was inadmissible since it concerned constitutional matters pending before competent domestic courts in Ghana, including its Supreme Court.
The Respondent contended that allowing the ECOWAS Court to proceed would amount to forum shopping and could lead to conflicting decisions. It cited some decided cases where the Court declined jurisdiction over matters concurrently pending before national courts, affirming its principle of non-interference in ongoing domestic judicial processes. The Respondent added that the Chief Justice was duly informed of the petition for her removal and afforded access to relevant documents.
Consequently, the ongoing process in Ghana are fully consistent with the procedures established under the Ghanaian Constitution.
In her response, the Applicant argued that the case does not involve constitutional interpretation, but rather clear violations of human rights guaranteed under regional legal instruments. She cited alleged breaches of Article 5 (right to dignity), Article 7 (right to fair hearing), and Article 15 (right to work) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The Applicant further argued that the proceedings in Ghana had already inflicted reputational harm on her and compromised judicial independence. She stressed that allowing it to proceed could render the substantive matter before the ECOWAS Court moot.
On jurisdiction, the Applicant cited the ECOWAS Court’s jurisprudence which affirm the Court’s authority to hear human rights claims despite ongoing domestic proceedings, particularly when the domestic remedies are ineffective, or the violations persist.
The Applicant pointed out that the purpose of the application for provisional measures was to temporarily protect her rights and prevent irreparable harm, pending the final decision on the substantive case.
The matter has been adjourned for a ruling at date to be communicated to the parties.
ECOWAS Court to Deliver Ruling in a Case Brought by Ghana’s Chief Justice
-
News1 year ago
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions3 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
Opinions4 years ago
POLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
News1 year ago
EYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Columns1 year ago
Army University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
ACADEMICS1 year ago
A History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Opinions1 year ago
Tinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
-
Politics1 month ago
2027: Why Hon. Midala Balami Must Go, as Youths in Hawul and Asikira/Uba Federal Constituency Reject ₦500,000 as Sallah Gift