By Abdul-Ganiyy Akanbi

The Unified Nigeria Youth Forum (UNYF) has cautioned that Nigeria is drifting into dangerous territory due to leadership failure, rising insecurity, and economic hardship, urging young Nigerians to rise and chart a new course for national rebirth anchored on integrity, accountability, and visionary leadership.

Speaking during a press conference held on Monday in Lagos, President of the Forum, Comrade Olajide Filani Toriah, said the gathering was not another lamentation of the nation’s woes but a patriotic awakening to rescue Nigeria from systemic decay.

Toriah said Nigeria stands at a dangerous crossroads as citizens continue to bear the brunt of poor governance and economic mismanagement that have left the country struggling to fulfill its promise of greatness.

He noted that insecurity, corruption, and policy inconsistency have combined to push millions of Nigerians into poverty and despair, while public confidence in leadership continues to decline.

While buttressing his points on the press conference theme, “Nigeria the Way Forward: UNYF Setting the Pace in Nigerian Politics – The Emergence of a New Nigeria, Toriah recalled the words of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who in 1981 declared that Nigeria was seriously ill and warned of frightful dangers ahead for a nation that fails to look beyond selfish interests.

He reiterated that more than four decades after that warning, the condition of the country has deteriorated even further, as insecurity, economic instability, and moral decay continue to threaten national unity.

The UNYF president observed that from one administration to another, successive leaders have failed to confront the root causes of Nigeria’s crisis, allowing insurgency, banditry, and communal conflicts to destroy lives and livelihoods across the North-East, North-West, and North-Central regions.

He disclosed that millions have been displaced, farmers cannot access their lands, traders are unsafe on the highways, and families live daily in fear of abduction and violence.

He said, “Nigeria’s economy, once a source of pride for Africa, has become fragile due to mismanagement, weak institutions, and inconsistent policies that have eroded investor confidence and deepened the suffering of ordinary citizens. The continuous fall of the naira, rising inflation, and the high rate of unemployment have pushed millions of Nigerians into untold hardship, while many young people now seek survival through irregular migration and crime.

“The current situation should serve as a wake-up call to those in authority, warning that the time has come for leaders to either step up or step aside for competent and visionary citizens to steer the country toward genuine progress. As we approach the 2027 general elections, it must not be another cycle of mediocrity and corruption, but a turning point for Nigeria to rediscover its soul through the emergence of credible and patriotic leadership.

“Nigeria’s problem is not merely economic or political but a crisis of vision, integrity, and accountability and rebuilding the nation requires a new moral consciousness driven by young people who are ready to take responsibility and reject the culture of indifference that has held the country hostage for decades.”

Toriah maintained that despite constitutional guarantees that place the security and welfare of citizens as the primary purpose of government, the present reality across the country shows a tragic contradiction where lives are wasted with impunity and justice is often delayed or denied.

While reaffirming the Forum’s commitment to promoting unity, accountability, and visionary leadership, Toriah said the youth must take charge of their destiny and ensure that the dream of a new Nigeria is not lost to corruption and indifference.

He reiterated that the time for excuses is over, stressing that the Forum’s guiding vision remains anchored on a common resolve expressed in the slogan “One Youth, One Dream, One Destiny” and called on the youth to rise above ethnic, religious, and political differences to unite for national renewal and charge young people across the country to take responsibility for their future and make this generation the one that refused to give up until the dream of a united, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria is achieved.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has described the tenure of Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd.) as the most transformative and results-driven era in the history of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), citing unprecedented figures in arrests, convictions, and institutional reforms since the agency’s creation in 1989.

A review by HURIWA of the NDLEA’s leadership trajectory from inception revealed that while successive chairmen contributed to the agency’s evolution, none has matched the scale, scope, and sustained momentum achieved under Marwa’s watch.

Established in 1989 to combat drug trafficking and abuse, the NDLEA began full operations in 1990 under its pioneer Chairman, Fidelis Oyakhilome. He laid the agency’s structural foundation before being succeeded by Fulani Kwajafa in 1991, whose brief tenure focused on expanding state commands. Subsequent leaderships under Ba’ppa Jama’are, Musa Bamaiyi, Ogbonnaya Onovo, and Iliya Lokadang saw modest progress amid institutional instability and limited enforcement capacity.

The agency began to find firmer footing under Alhaji Bello Yusuf Lafiaji (2000–2005) and Ahmadu Giade (2005–2015). Giade’s decade-long tenure recorded about 8,637 convictions and notable international recognition that led to Nigeria’s removal from the United States’ list of major drug-transit nations. However, the NDLEA under Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (2016–2021) struggled to sustain that tempo, with fewer publicly reported breakthroughs.

According to HURIWA’s findings, the arrival of Marwa in January 2021 marked a decisive turning point. Within four years, the NDLEA has recorded over 73,000 arrests, including 110 high-profile drug barons, secured more than 12,000 convictions, and seized over 15 million kilograms of assorted illicit substances. These figures surpass the combined performance of some previous administrations.

In 2024 alone, the agency reportedly arrested 17,670 suspected traffickers, seized over 2.7 million kilograms of illicit drugs , and counselled and rehabilitated more than 8,129 drug users through its demand-reduction programmes. The NDLEA also conducted over 3,000 sensitisation campaigns nationwide, reaching an estimated 1.8 million Nigerians in physical attendance.

HURIWA noted that Marwa’s approach has gone beyond conventional interdiction to include preventive education, counselling, and international collaboration. Under his leadership, the agency intensified the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, targeted transnational cartels, and achieved significant legislative reforms, including amendments to strengthen the NDLEA Act.

Comparatively, while Ahmadu Giade’s tenure is often cited as one of the most stable, and Lafiaji’s era introduced structural reforms, the association observed that Marwa’s term combines operational excellence with transparency and integrity. No corruption scandal has been linked to his administration, a stark contrast to the controversies that tainted some earlier leaderships.

“The NDLEA under Marwa has demonstrated what strong, accountable leadership can achieve when backed by institutional vision,” HURIWA observed. “His record-breaking performance has redefined Nigeria’s anti-narcotics campaign and restored public trust in an agency once plagued by low morale and weak enforcement.”

The rights group urged the Federal Government to sustain the momentum through better funding, welfare for operatives, and continued support for the agency’s community-based initiatives, which have proven effective in reducing drug dependence and related crimes.

HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, commended Marwa for “repositioning the NDLEA into one of Nigeria’s most credible security institutions” and urged other agencies to emulate the agency’s mix of discipline, professionalism, and results-driven management.

“What Marwa has achieved in less than five years is unmatched in the NDLEA’s 35-year history,” Onwubiko said. “He has turned the agency into a model of accountability and public service, showing that leadership still matters in governance.”

Besides, HURIWA applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for demonstrating leadership towards the eradication of hard drugs trafficking and for his administration’s ability to give free hand to the management and staff of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency to embark on some of the most formidable counter narcotics exercises in the political history of Nigeria just as the Rights group said posterity would inevitably record the successes of NDLEA to the enabling environment created by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government.

*Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko*
National Coordinator,
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA)

By Emmanuel Ikpe

The village head of Ikot Ebido Oku, Eteidung Ini Bassey Ekong has stressed the need for the government to intensify effort in tackling the used of illicit drugs by youths in the state, to term the tide of crime and criminalities in the society.

He gave the recommendation while speaking with this Correspondent during the working visit of the village council to the Primary Health center in Ikot Ebido Oku at the for inspection.

Explaining that such action by government will deter the youth from perpetuating acts capable of causing damage to government properties after taking of such illicit drugs and youths restiveness

The Eteidung Ini Ekong used the fora to commend the Chairman of Uyo Local Government Area, Dr Uwemedimo Udo, for taking development of the health center important by erecting parameter fencing around the premises, with the hope that it will secure the place against vandalism by the said youths who are bent on destroying government properties to sell as scraps.

The village head equally commended the council chairman for other projects embarked upon in Uyo LGA and for his leadership prowess noting that he has justified the confidence reposed on him, the vast majority of the Uyo people who elected him into power for a second term.
He therefore prayed God to guide him and shower him with more wisdom, knowledge and resources to further drive governance and people oriented leadership to Uyo people and Akwa Ibom State at large.

Meanwhile, the village head of Ikot Ebido Oku, Uyo Local Government Area have appreciated the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno for appointing Dr Uwemedimo Udo as the Chairman of Association of Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State Chapter, noting that the platform has enable the chairman to work extra harder and has given him opportunity to showcase his ability to lead beyond his area council. He added that as ALGON chairman, Uwemedimo Udo PhD have proved that Uyo person can lead, serve in exalted positions if given opportunity and therefore prayed God to bless Gov Umo Eno and his government to continue to deliver dividend of democracy to Akwa Ibom people and Nigerians in general.

The village head however eulogized the development efforts of the governor in the sport, economic, health, education, security, tourism, governance and social services among other things.