26th May, 2021
By Ibironke Ariyo
Retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, Chairman of, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has warned against the attempt to legalise cannabis in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by the agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, Marwa said this at a national security summit organised by the House of Representatives on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said that the current moves by some stakeholders to push for the legalisation of cannabis in Nigeria would rob the country of the gains.
The NDLEA boss said the gains so far made in the renewed war against drug abuse and trafficking in the country would be destroyed by the move.
According to him, the present figure of 10.6 million Nigerians abusing cannabis was frightening and enough to sound the alarm bell.
The NDLEA boss said the strong nexus between drug abuse and the security challenges across the country was incontrovertible.
According to him, presently, there is no bigger national issue than the issue of insecurity in Nigeria.
“It is one of the big challenges, if not the biggest, threatening our dear country.
“Insecurity is today, a full-blown malady with many manifestations, such as insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, murder, robbery, reprisal killing, name it.
“Yet, there has never been a government that is more committed to ending this spate of insecurity than the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“President Buhari has matched political willpower with resources, but the scope and frequency of these acts of destabilisation and the audacity displayed by the perpetrators call for a second, critical look at the malaise,” he said.
Marwa said that the use of drugs for perverted purposes was not a new phenomenon, neither was it something that just started in Nigeria.
”I will like to caution that our lawmakers should not legalise cannabis because it will amount to taking a step forward and ten steps backwards” he said.
Meanwhile, he commended the organisers of the summit, saying it could not have come at a better time, urging Nigerians to stand up and take ownership of the fight against insecurity in the country.
NAN