UAE GOVERNMENT PLEDGES STRONGER SUPPORT FOR NDLEA, COMMENDS MARWA’S LEADERSHIP

The government of the United Arab Emirates has assured the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency of its support and commitment to a stronger partnership. The UAE also commended the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired), for his excellent leadership which has resulted in significant operational successes in Nigeria’s fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

This assurance and commendation were delivered by the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Salem Saeed Musabbeh Alshamsi, during a courtesy visit to Marwa at the Agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, November 11th, 2025. The Ambassador stated that he was there to appreciate the hard work and great leadership provided by Marwa.

He said, “I’m here to appreciate your hard work and the great leadership you have provided the NDLEA. We have been following your achievements very closely, and I must say you have done very well and still doing 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 and 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 matter.”

The envoy extended an invitation to Marwa to visit his counterpart in the UAE and the Dubai Police leadership for further engagements. He also expressed his government’s readiness to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the NDLEA on specific areas of collaboration.

The Ambassador emphasized the importance of information sharing, stating, “We need to exchange information about drug dealers, and all of their activities. We are here to help and to support you, especially on this matter. It’s very important that we have a very great communication between the UAE and Nigeria especially now that the relationship between United Arab Emirates and Nigeria has become one of the best. If there is any other thing I could do to support the great work you’re doing here, please do not hesitate to ask me and I’ll be available and willing to do it in appreciation of your great leadership. Our mission is to be here for you, assist and support you.”

In his response, Marwa expressed his appreciation to the Ambassador for his kind words about his person and the work of the NDLEA. He also commended the developmental strides in the UAE and praised the Ambassador’s years of dedicated service. Marwa noted the huge leap in trade and movement between Nigeria and the UAE in the last two years, aligning it with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Marwa said, “I’d like to acknowledge the strong diplomatic relations between our two countries that have continued to grow stronger every year. And Your Excellency has just told us now the latest in billions of dollars in non-oil trade and this is something that we welcome very much in Nigeria because the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda wants to achieve not just peace and stability, but prosperity for all Nigerians. The drug scourge is universal, both the trafficking of it and the abuse of it and there’s a need for collaboration between nations to achieve solutions on this. And in Nigeria, the NDLEA is the agency that is tasked with the control of illicit drugs in the country.”

The NDLEA boss provided specific data, revealing that in the last four years, the agency had intercepted a total of 302.202 kilograms of assorted illicit substances destined for the UAE, seized either at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos or at various courier companies in the city.

He described the NDLEA as the largest anti-narcotics agency in Africa, which partners with leading drug law enforcement agencies across the world. Marwa confirmed the agency’s willingness to deepen ties with the UAE, stating, “We welcome the collaboration between NDLEA and our counterparts in UAE, we’re also willing to honour the invitation to visit UAE for collaborative discussions and sign the MoU.”