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Marwa seeks support of military school alumni on drug war
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig.-Gen. Muhammed Marwa (retd) has solicited the support of ex-boys of the Nigerian Military School (NMS) to eradicate illicit drugs in Nigeria.
Marwa made the call at the Dinner of the NMS 96 Ex-Boys Foundation in commemoration of their 20 years reunion on Sunday in Abuja.
He said that 15 million Nigerians were involved in illicit drug usage in Nigeria, adding that there was a drug scourge in every community in Nigeria.
In his words, “The drug scourge is biting hard with 15 million Nigerians. Not only is it destroying our families and our communities, it is also as we know, behind the criminality, insurgency, banditry and kidnappings, they all use drugs for getting into it.
“So we need all Nigerians and NMS ex-boys have to be at the forefront because, since I am there as the chairman, you are all there and you have to take the fight personally.
“And the best form of effort that I would expect from you is to fight the drug demand and face the consumers because the consumers are the markets.
“As parents, I will like you to take your rightful spot and bring our children up properly.
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“In all your communities, your businesses, your organisations wherever you work, set up a small committee called War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) and take full advantage of your Pastors, Imams, Bishops, clergies, traditional institutions, NGOs, village committees and so on to chase this matter of drug abuse out of Nigeria.”
Reminiscing his experience at NMS in 1966 set, Marwa said the NMS was and had remained an institution that promoted national unity where tribalism was never an issue.
He said that even though the school’s academic staff during his time at NMS were about 90 per cent of Yoruba extraction, the common goal was discipline and patriotism.
Marwa said in the NMS, they were taught the ethos of leadership, patriotism and national pride and there was no tribalism but hard work.
The National President of the NMS Ex-Boys Association, Mr Femi Ikuponiyi, said the alumni had commenced efforts to participate in the WADA exercise of the NDLEA.
Ikuponiyi said they had developed some context that they planned to make a presentation on the agency.
According to him, the ex-boys have also used the state chapters to form associations because of their presence in most of the federal institutions to be coordinated by the state chapters.
