NDLEA RELOCATES TO NEW HEADQUARTERS IN ABUJA
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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s headquarters have been formally moved to a new location in Abuja’s Jahi neighborhood.
It is anticipated that the project’s first phase, which was launched during an interdenominational service on Wednesday, will be finished using the funding for 2025.
Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, revealed this in a statement on Wednesday.
Speaking at the event, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa, the chairman and CEO of the NDLEA, called the action a critical milestone in the agency’s history.
Marwa explained that the new headquarters was necessary to accommodate the agency’s expansion and improve operations.
He stated, “I’m glad we have finally moved in to occupy this facility after initial budgetary constraints. Even though this is the first phase of the new headquarters project, we are hopeful that we will be able to complete the process with next year’s budget.
“This is not 100% completed but it is sufficiently functional for us to move in because I was determined to move in before the end of 2024 because with the expansion of the Agency, the headquarters also expanded, and in our old location we could not accommodate everyone. I have had to post scores of officers due to a lack of space for them to work.
“It was for this reason that the management took a unanimous decision that since it was not 100% ready and we needed it, we should make it a low-key inauguration ceremony. This will enable us to relocate some of our directorates still operating outside Abuja into one facility to consolidate our operations for efficiency, effectiveness and seamless coordination.”
He also stated that the headquarters annex will remain in the former head office in the FCT’s Gimbiya, Garki region.
He expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering encouragement and support, which has enabled the agency to fulfill its mission of reducing drug consumption and illegal trafficking in the nation.
“The support we are getting from our international partners and local stakeholders, especially President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Judiciary and the citizenry, is not just to appreciate our efforts but to encourage us to do more and I believe this new work environment will motivate you to surpass past feats,” Marwa stated.
Shadrach Haruna, the agency’s secretary, praised Marwa in his welcome remarks for her inspirational leadership, which in just three years has elevated NDLEA to the level of its international peers in terms of professionalism, capability, and capacity.
Haruna said, “The commissioning of our headquarters today is part of the incremental but well-laid agenda for the repositioning of the Agency by the chairman. We have witnessed some monumental achievements since 2021, including increasing the staff strength of the Agency from 5,000 to 15,000. Promotion of officers, opening up of vacancies, payment of accumulated allowances to staff and widows of our fallen officers, the recent amendment of the Agency’s enabling law by the National Assembly, and many more.
A commemorative plaque was unveiled to mark the occasion, and prayers for Tinubu and Nigeria were offered in both Christian and Islamic styles.
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