The chairman/chief executive officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.) has described the LEADERSHIP Person of the Year award bestowed on him as a motivation for him and the agency to intensify the war against drug crimes.
The award, along with others, was announced by LEADERSHIP earlier this month.
A statement at the time said it was in recognition of Marwa’s efforts in providing leadership in the war against illicit drugs, taking the fight to the hideouts of drug cartels in highbrow areas, and arresting and securing the conviction of thousands of persons, including barons, for different drug- related charges.
Speaking when he received the management of LEADERSHIP Group led by the Editor-In-Chief, Azu Ishiekwene, at the Abuja office of the NDLEA, Marwa dedicated the award to officers and men of the anti-drug agency for their commitment to the ideals of a drug-free Nigeria.
Marwa said the agency would not rest on its oars but would sustain and improve upon the war against illicit drugs until Nigeria is free of the menace.
The NDLEA boss commended the management of LEADERSHIP Group for remaining true to the ideals of the newspaper through strict adherence to professionalism while maintaining an abiding faith in Nigeria’s indivisibility.
Ishiekwene said the award was to encourage the NDLEA chairman for his outstanding performance and also to encourage and inspire others.
He recalled that NDLEA won the LEADERSHIP Public Agency of the Year award in 2021 and described Marwa’s clinching of the Person of the Year 2022 award as a recognition of the remarkable works he is doing.
Ishiekwene said Marwa and other award winners would receive their awards during the newspaper’s annual conference with the theme, ‘Credible Election and an Economy in Transition,’ slated for January 31, 2023 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Marwa and the duo of the president of Afrexim Bank, Prof Benedict Oramah, and world athletics champion and record holder in 100 metres women’s hurdles, Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan, emerged as LEADERSHIP Persons of the Year 2022.
A statement by the management of LEADERSHIP said Marwa, who is currently a nightmare to drug barons in Nigeria, was also awarded Person of the Year for his giant strides in the war against drugs, particularly for making the biggest drug busts in the history of the country and for repositioning a government agency that had been moribund for long.
According to the newspaper, Prof Oramah jointly won the coveted award for his numerous noble accomplishments across the world, standing him out as an extraordinary ambassador of his country, Nigeria, in his career and service to the country and the continent.
World athletics champion, Amusan, also made the prime honours roll for breaking Gail Devers’ 22-year-old record to defend the Diamond League 100 metres hurdles title in a winning time of 12.29secs, with her latest tittle, the Diamond League, adding to the plethora of records and titles she achieved in 2022.
“The defining criterion for this category is rewarding person(s) who have made extraordinarily positive impacts on our lives through achievements that inspired and continue to inspire the country,” the newspaper’s management statement said.
