‘Drug use, mental illness feed each other’ – NDLEA boss Marwa

Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, the Chairman and CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has stated that drug use and mental illness are interconnected, warning that addressing only the symptoms will not tackle the root causes. This was revealed during the fifth edition of The Conversation Conference (TCC 5.0), organized by the Intersect Consortium in Abuja.

The conference took place days after World Mental Health Day, providing an opportunity to shift from awareness to action. Marwa emphasized that behind many drug abuse cases treated at the NDLEA's rehabilitation centers, there are untreated pain issues such as depression, trauma, and young individuals resorting to substances before receiving help.

He stressed that mental health had been neglected for too long, hidden behind shame and silence. Marwa highlighted the NDLEA's efforts in three pilot communities in Ondo State, where families previously involved in illicit cultivation have been assisted in establishing legal livelihoods. He called for collaboration among the health, education, security, justice, and social welfare sectors to address the root causes of drug abuse and mental illness.

Marwa urged participants to commit to financing effective strategies, scaling successful community models, prioritizing vulnerable groups, and holding each other accountable for results. He concluded by envisioning a Nigeria where seeking help is seen as courageous, recovery is attainable, and no one suffers alone.