Traditional Rulers Should Lead Community Fight Against Drug Abuse, Says Marwa
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), has urged traditional rulers to spearhead community-based campaigns against substance abuse by establishing advocacy networks and rehabilitation support programmes in their domains.
Marwa made the call on Saturday at the 10th Akinale Day celebration and the first coronation anniversary of the Towulade of Owu Akinale, Oba Oluseyi Adediran, held at Baptist Primary School, Owu Akinale, in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The NDLEA chairman said traditional institutions remained the closest authority to people at the grassroots and should leverage their influence to discourage drug abuse, especially among young people.
He also urged monarchs and community leaders to thoroughly screen individuals seeking to acquire farmlands in rural communities to prevent drug trafficking syndicates from establishing clandestine laboratories.
Marwa described substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking as a growing national challenge, warning that the menace cuts across all social classes and threatens the country's future.
He said, "We cannot fully protect our heritage if we do not protect the people who will inherit it. Nigeria is facing a silent but devastating war on substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
"Drug abuse does not discriminate. It knocks on the doors of both the rich and the poor."
The former military administrator also appealed to parents to return to the core values of responsible parenting by closely monitoring their children, watching for early signs of behavioural changes and providing them with the guidance and support needed to keep them away from drugs.
Addressing Nigerian youths, Marwa warned that substance abuse offered no solution to life's challenges.
He said, "Substance abuse is a false escape. It does not solve problems; it multiplies them. It destroys your brain, your health and your future. Say a resounding no to illicit drugs."
Marwa commended the Towulade of Owu Akinale, Oba Adediran, describing him as a compassionate and disciplined monarch committed to the welfare and development of his people.
Former Ogun State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun, who attended the event, congratulated the monarch on his first coronation anniversary and urged the newly installed chiefs to see their titles as a call to selfless service and community development.
Earlier, the Towulade thanked the NDLEA chairman for his unwavering support and the agency's sustained nationwide campaign against drug trafficking and substance abuse. He also appreciated sons and daughters of Owu Akinale for their contributions to the development of the community.
The Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola, lauded the Towulade's achievements within one year on the throne, describing ongoing development projects in the community as evidence of the monarch's commitment to the progress of Akinale.
Also speaking, the Olori of Owu Akinale, Chief Olufolake Adediran, stressed the importance of education, urging parents to prioritise the schooling of their children. She disclosed that books, school uniforms and school bags had been distributed to students through the Owu Akinale Educational Trust Fund with support from Stellar Steel Company Limited.

Highlights of the event included the conferment of the traditional title of Baba Oba of Owu Akinale on Marwa, while the Chairman of the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Wale Olanrewaju, and other newly installed chiefd were presented with certificates of Chieftancy  as Asiwaju Agba-Akin of Owu Akinale. The Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Youth Development, Olamide Lawal, was also honoured with the title of Aare Sobaloju of the kingdom.