By Saminu Ibrahim
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has called for increased investment in mental healthcare, warning that drug abuse and mental illness often reinforce each other.
Marwa said treating drug abuse solely as a criminal justice issue without addressing underlying psychological problems would undermine efforts to tackle the menace.
“If we only arrest the symptoms, we will keep missing the cause,” he warned.
The NDLEA boss spoke on Tuesday, while chairing the fifth edition of The Conversation Conference (TCC 5.0), organised by Intersect Consortium at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
The conference, led by UK-based consultant psychiatrist, Dr. Vincent Udenze, focused on strategic investments, partnerships and community-led action in mental health.
Marwa, who also chaired the first edition in 2022 and the third edition of the conference, described the gathering as one of Nigeria’s major platforms for discussing mental health, noting that its timing, shortly after World Mental Health Day, offered an opportunity to translate awareness into concrete action.
He said many drug abuse cases handled at NDLEA rehabilitation centres were rooted in untreated mental health conditions, trauma and emotional distress.
“For too long, we treated mental health as a private burden, hidden behind shame and silence. In my work at the NDLEA, I see the cost of that silence daily,” he said.
According to him, depression, unresolved trauma and the inability to access timely assistance often push vulnerable people towards substance abuse.
He stressed that addressing the underlying causes of drug use was essential to achieving lasting recovery and reducing the burden of addiction.
Speaking on community-based interventions, Marwa said mental wellbeing could not flourish in an environment where poverty, hopelessness and economic hardship exposed people to harmful practices.
He cited the NDLEA’s intervention in three pilot communities in Ondo State, where residents previously dependent on illicit cultivation were supported to establish lawful and sustainable livelihoods.
The initiative, he explained, was designed in partnership with community members to provide families with alternative sources of income and reduce their dependence on illegal activities.
“When people have hope, income and a stake in their future, stress eases, families stabilise and communities grow resilient,” he said.
Marwa disclosed that the agency planned to expand the initiative nationwide, urging development partners and other stakeholders to support the effort.
He also highlighted the NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, which targets young people in schools, tertiary institutions and communities through drug prevention and awareness programmes.
The agency’s 24-hour toll-free helpline, he added, provides access to assistance for individuals and families affected by drug-related challenges.
Marwa further disclosed that more than 53,843 people had received treatment and rehabilitation through the agency’s 31 rehabilitation facilities across the country in the past five years.
“Behind that number are fathers returned to their families and young people returned to school and work,” he said.
The NDLEA chairman called for increased government funding for mental healthcare, insisting that the sector must not continue to receive inadequate attention in national health budgets.
He said investments in prevention, trained personnel and accessible treatment would yield benefits through improved productivity, safer communities and stronger families.
Marwa called for the recruitment and training of more psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors and community health workers, as well as the integration of mental health services into primary healthcare.
He argued that access to treatment should not depend on a person’s financial status or geographical location.
“No one travels hundreds of kilometres to be heard,” he said, advocating a system that brings mental health services closer to communities.
He added that equitable financing was critical to ensuring that vulnerable Nigerians could access appropriate care.
“Care that only the well-off can afford is not a system, it is a privilege,” he stated.
Marwa also emphasised the need to prioritise women, children, persons with disabilities and families displaced by violence and conflict in mental health interventions.
He said survivors of violence, displaced mothers and vulnerable girls were often overlooked, adding that NDLEA’s experience showed that recovery was more sustainable when support extended to the entire household.
The NDLEA boss called for stronger collaboration among the health, education, security, justice and social welfare sectors, stressing that no single institution could effectively address the country’s mental health challenges alone.
He commended Vice President Kashim Shettima for his support for mental health initiatives.
Shettima was represented at the conference by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, who attended as Special Guest of Honour.
Marwa urged participants to translate the discussions into practical commitments, including funding effective interventions, expanding proven community-based programmes, prioritising vulnerable groups and ensuring accountability for results.
“Let us build a Nigeria where seeking help is an act of courage, where recovery is possible, and where no one suffers alone,” he said.
