NDLEA TO PARTNER NIGER STATE GOVT ON SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE DRUGS CONTROL.
By : Our Correspondent.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has expressed his desire to leverage on the agricultural reform programs of Farmer Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, in Niger state and to partner with the state government, to facilitate sustainable alternative livelihoods to the youths and women groups in the state.
The partnership program according to him, will specifically focus on the deviant youth groups including those in the custody of the NDLEA.
This partnership interest of Gen. Marwa with Governor Bago, was disclosed by Dr. Jonah Kolo, who was recently appointed as the National Coordinator of Alternative Development Project in Nigeria, at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja.
He was speaking when he paid a visit to the Hon. Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Barr. Abdulmalik Sarkin Daji, to intimate him on the activities of the Agency and particularly on the focus of the Alternative Development project of the NDLEA.
He stated that Gen. Marwa, was passionate about providing legitimate alternative sources of livelihoods for the deviant youth groups as a drug control strategy hence his decision to create Alternative Development Unit in the Agency.
He said one of the key functions of the unit in the NDLEA was, “to initiate,identify and leverage on the children, youth and women empowerment programs at the community, state and federal levels and to collaborate with the sponsors/ implementers of such programs in order to incorporate illicit narcotics and related crime preventive empowerment programs’’.
The Hon. Speaker therefore pledged his support for the partnership project and promised to take up the partnership interest with governor of Niger State, Hon Mohammed Umaru Bago.
Dr. Jonah Kolo, also paid an alternative development awareness visit to the Niger state Commissioner of Agriculture, Hon. Musa Salihu Bawa Bosso, where the prospects of the alternative development and sustainable livelihood project in Niger State and by extension in Nigeria was extensively discussed.
He said the Alternative Development (AD) approach was also a palliative towards social security and correctional justice system as an option to punishment and was designed to provide diverse sustainable alternative source of livelihoods for the young population including women groups and for illicit drug growers, traffickers, users and other deviants.
Dr. Kolo further stated that Gen. Marwa will pay Alternative Development Advocacy visit to governor Bago in no distant time during which he said the modalities for the partnership will be fully discussed.
In attendance during the meeting with the Hon. Commissioner were Dr. Mathew Ahmed, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Livestock, Mallam Alhassan Umar, Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Mallam Adamu Garba Maikusuwa, Director, Agric Services and Linkages.
Others included Engr. Musa Danladi Director, Engineering Services. Mr Bala King, the Principal Staff Officer (PSO), Administration from the NDLEA National Headquarters in Abuja was also in the meeting.
