The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has assured the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of its support and a stronger partnership.
It also commended the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), for providing excellent leadership that has led to a series of operational successes in the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.
The assurance and commendation were conveyed when the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Salem Saeed Musabbeh Alshamsi, paid Marwa a courtesy visit at the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja.
According to the Ambassador: “I’m here to appreciate your hard work and the great leadership you have provided to the NDLEA. We have been following your achievements very closely, and I must say you have done very well and are still doing an excellent job. We follow all the good work that you’ve been doing, especially all the drugs you’re seizing and blocking from coming to the UAE, and we’re so proud of your achievements. That’s why we’re here to deepen our cooperation with your agency in the area of fighting drug trafficking.
“The UAE looks forward to working more closely with Nigeria on drug enforcement matters.”
While extending an invitation to Marwa to visit his counterpart in the UAE and the Dubai Police leadership for further engagements, the envoy expressed his government’s readiness to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NDLEA on areas of collaboration with the agency.
“We need to exchange information about drug dealers and all their activities. We are here to help and support you, especially on this matter. It’s very important that we maintain strong communication between the UAE and Nigeria, especially now that the relationship between our two countries has become one of the best. If there is anything else I can do to support the great work you’re doing here, please do not hesitate to ask me. I’ll be available and willing to do it in appreciation of your great leadership. ”
Our mission is to be here for you, assist you, and support you,” the Ambassador stated.
In his response, Marwa expressed appreciation to the envoy for his kind words about him and the work of the NDLEA, while also commending the developmental strides in the UAE.
He praised the Ambassador’s years of dedicated service and the huge leap in trade and movement between Nigeria and the UAE in the last two years, which he said aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“I’d like to acknowledge the strong diplomatic relations between our two countries that have continued to grow stronger every year. Your Excellency has just told us about the latest billions of dollars in non-oil trade, and this is something we welcome very much in Nigeria because the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda seeks to achieve not just peace and stability, but prosperity for all Nigerians.
“The drug scourge is universal, both the trafficking and the abuse of it, and there’s a need for collaboration between nations to achieve solutions. In Nigeria, the NDLEA is the agency tasked with the control of illicit drugs in the country.”
The NDLEA boss noted that in the last four years, the agency had intercepted 302.202 kilogrammes of assorted illicit substances bound for the UAE, either at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, or through courier companies in the state.
As the largest anti-narcotics agency in Africa, Marwa said the NDLEA partners with leading drug law enforcement agencies across the world. “We welcome the collaboration between the NDLEA and our counterparts in the UAE. We’re also willing to honour the invitation to visit the UAE for collaborative discussions and to sign the MoU,” he assured the envoy.
