Chairman/chief executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd), has warned 2,000 newly trained officers of the anti-narcotics agency to resist every temptation that will make them compromise their duties and responsibilities.

While addressing them at the passing-out parade at the NDLEA Academy, Jos, Plateau State, on Friday, Marwa reminded the officers that they were coming into the Agency at a time when the institution is being overhauled to make it more effective and efficient, and as such their months of training at the Academy must count through impactful contributions to its goal of ridding Nigeria of drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

According to him, “You are coming into the agency at an auspicious time when the management has pushed the reset button and commenced the overhaul of the old system and its encumbrances. Your employment coincides with a time we are putting in place all that is necessary to foster the enabling work environment that makes a career in the NDLEA gratifying.

“Having been given the necessary training, we expect you to make your presence count with impact contributions to the achievement of the Agency’s objectives in its campaign against abuse and trafficking of illicit substances. Qualities such as loyalty, discipline and diligence would help you to have a fulfilling career in a paramilitary organisation such as NDLEA.

“Let me also bring to your awareness how important you are now to society. Only very few occupations afford an individual the opportunity of direct, meaningful impact on society’s wellbeing. You are part of a community of custodians who are assigned the responsibility of safeguarding society’s sanity and safety against the corrosion of illicit substances. And today, I charge you thus: do not disappoint the Agency, and the society at large, and more importantly, do not disappoint yourselves.”

NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said Marwa also said the new officers and their senior compatriots must remain upright and patriotic always.

The NDLEA spokesperson quoted Agency’s boss as saying: “I will not downplay the fact that the world of illicit drugs is a dark, dangerous underworld that must be met with uprightness, patriotism and strong will. That is why we are working purposely to put in place a welfare package that will shield you from circumstances or conditions that may predispose you to compromise your duties and responsibilities.

“Your upbringing and the training you have undergone should imbue you with the moral fibre to withstand the lure of filthy lucre, which is the weapon of drug barons. In whatever circumstance you may find yourselves in the course of your careers, think first about the greater good. And always remember that traffickers, barons and cartels are opposing forces with whom you must not have any communion whatsoever. As you take the first major step as anti-narcotic agents, I wish you a successful, fulfilling career in the NDLEA.”

He said the official passing out parade of Narcotic Officers Course 15, 2021, coming barely seven weeks after the passing out of Narcotic Assistants in September, is yet another phase in the rapid evolution of the NDLEA.

“In the 32 years of this Agency, this is the largest course ever for Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics (ASN) cadre and the first in seven years. Today, the fight against illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse is being reinforced with the addition of about 2,000 new officers into field operations, where you will be joining your compatriots across Nigeria,” he added.

TodayNG