Alaafin of Oyo visits Marwa, pledges support for NDLEA’s fight against drug abuse

Abimbola Owoade, the Alaafin of Oyo, has assured Buba Marwa, chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), of his support and collaboration in the renewed effort to combat substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.

The Alaafin made the pledge during a courtesy visit to Marwa at the NDLEA’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday.

Two other traditional rulers, Joel Olaniyan Olatoye, the Oloro of Oro, and Ademola Julius Ajibola, the Olusin of Ijara Isin, were also on the visit.

The Alaafin said he is proud of Marwa’s trajectory as Atunluse of Yorubaland and his achievements in Lagos and Borno states, where he once served as military governor.

“To be kind with you, we are proud of you. Your being in this position at the moment is not just by chance; it’s because of your devotion and your commitment. You have this amiable character,” he said.

“That’s why you are able to govern Borno and Lagos State, and you have always been a performer. Another thing which I can’t forget about you is the legacy of Keke Marwa that you brought to Nigeria.”

Responding to Marwa’s call for traditional rulers to actively participate in the fight against substance abuse, Alaafin assured the NDLEA boss of his readiness to mobilise other monarchs to lend their support to the cause.

“I’ve heard your message, and the same thing with some of my colleagues here and some of my other traditional rulers, we are ready to collaborate with you,” he said.

“I have to tell you, we are at the grassroots; we are close to the community people. We know a lot about what’s going on.

“So, I’m using this opportunity to tell you that we are ready. We are more than ready to work with you and to give you all the necessary support to make sure that you are successful in this job.

“We can tell you that anytime you are in need of us, we will always be there for you.”

Speaking earlier, Marwa congratulated the Alaafin on his ascension to the throne and urged him and other traditional rulers to leverage their influence within their communities to support the NDLEA’s efforts.

“The drug scourge in Nigeria is at an unacceptable limit, and from the drug use survey report of 2018, we find that close to 15 million Nigerians aged 15 to 64 use drugs,” he said.

“It’s a big problem, and we have been mandated by President Tinubu to stand up, fight the drug scourge, arrest those responsible, prosecute them and seize their assets, the traffickers.

“And on this assignment, we would like to call on the traditional institution because it’s a very, very important institution.”

He said the traditional institution holds significant influence across Nigeria, adding that its endorsement would be pivotal in the fight against drug abuse.

“Nigerians respect the traditional institutions. Whoever you are in Nigeria, you still come from somewhere,” Marwa said.

And when you go back to that place, you pay homage to whoever is the leader of the community.  And so, when the traditional leader speaks, it carries weight.”

Marwa also urged traditional rulers to engage religious leaders in their communities to advocate against the use of drugs and to help identify drug dealers.

“We really appreciate this collaboration, and I know for a fact that if we are able to control drug use, even the criminalities will come down because all the people that are kidnappers and the insurgents, terrorists, and bandits everywhere, they use drugs first to charge themselves up, to make them high,” he added.