By Providence Ayanfeoluwa

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disclosed that plans are underway to conduct a new National Drug Survey and develop a fresh National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) 2026–2030, as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s response to drug use and mental health challenges.

The agency also revealed that it has invested heavily in intelligence gathering, not only to disrupt drug trafficking networks but also to serve as an early warning and surveillance system for substance use and related mental health issues.

The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who represented the Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), made this known at the Vanguard Mental Health Summit 3.0, themed “Taming the Rising Tide of Suicide in Nigeria” and sub-themed “Substance and Silence: Unmasking the Dual Crisis of Addiction and Suicide.”

Babafemi said Nigeria must move beyond a punitive approach to drug control, noting that arrests without treatment, incarceration without rehabilitation, and enforcement without prevention have kept the country “running in circles.”

“As an agency, we have been actively and systematically collating data from our various operations,” Babafemi said.

“This process has enabled us to map patterns of drug use across Nigeria, a task we shall continue to pursue as we expand our reach and deepen our presence within communities nationwide.”

He explained that, as part of its next reform phase, NDLEA would scale up community policing through the establishment of NDLEA Community Liaison Offices in all 774 local government areas, which would work closely with local structures and stakeholders to prevent substance abuse.

Babafemi also announced plans to pilot the Alternative Development Programme (ADP) — one of NDLEA’s flagship community initiatives — targeting cannabis-growing communities across Nigeria.
“The Alternative Development Project demands ethical responsibility and a humanitarian approach to mitigate drug-related problems and end the violence and complexities of the war on drugs,” he noted.
“In Nigeria, it will focus on reducing vulnerabilities such as ignorance, poverty, hunger, unemployment, and underdevelopment that push people into illicit cultivation. At the same time, we are steadfast in reducing the stigma associated with addiction — to destigmatize recovery and emphasize help over punishment.”

He added that the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) Social and Advocacy Initiative has become a major platform for community engagement, with several community leaders now serving as WADA Ambassadors to promote awareness and reshape public perceptions of drug abuse.

According to him, NDLEA’s transformation agenda seeks to position the agency not merely as a law enforcement body but as a partner in healing, prevention, and community resilience.

“The burden of addiction and mental health is far too great for any single actor to bear alone,” Babafemi emphasized.

“We must build bold partnerships — between the NDLEA, the Ministry of Health, mental health professionals, civil society, local communities, the media, and the private sector — to shape policies and drive collective action.”

He noted that Nigeria faces a threefold drug challenge — as a producer, consumer, and transit point — with over 40.3 million Nigerians reportedly abusing illicit substances.

“The purely punitive model has revealed its limits,” he warned. “We must rethink old approaches and reposition NDLEA’s role as a partner in health, prevention, harm reduction, and social healing. Drug control cannot be divorced from public health challenges such as suicide and mental illness.”
Babafemi reaffirmed that the NDLEA’s evolving strategy integrates law enforcement, public health, and community partnership, to ensure that Nigeria’s drug response framework addresses both supply and demand reduction effectively.