Breaking the 35-Year Jinx: NDLEA’s Milestone and the Power of Development Journalism
“Whenever I was upset by something in the papers,” Jackie [Kennedy] once recalled, “[Jack] always told me to be more tolerant, like a horse flicking away flies in the summer.” Yet her disdain for the press never waned. To her, journalists were adversaries in a zero-sum game—a sentiment captured in her Latin quip to designer Oleg Cassini: “Mors tua vita mea est” (“Your death is my life”). This tension, as Sally Bedell Smith notes in Grace and Power, reflects a deeper institutional distrust between public officials and the media.
But Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd.), Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), stands apart. Under his leadership, the NDLEA operates with uncommon transparency, its media team comprising top-tier professionals. This openness invites scrutiny—and today, it compels this writer to employ the lens of development journalism to spotlight a historic achievement the mainstream press has underreported: the breaking of a 35-year jinx in the NDLEA.
Development journalism prioritizes reporting on economic and social progress, critically analyzing policies while empowering citizens with actionable insights. It emerged in the 1980s as part of the Global South’s push for a New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO), challenging media inequities. For professionals like myself, it’s a creed: celebrate progress, hold power accountable, and amplify stories that shape national well-being.
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For the first time since its inception in 1989, the NDLEA now boasts a dedicated barracks. On February 18, 2025, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), commissioned the facility in Yola, Adamawa State, hailing it as a m”fortress of resilience” in Nigeria’s war against drugs.
The barracks—a sprawling 18-hectare complex—includes:
– 260 residential units (1–3 bedrooms)
– Modern offices, detention centers, and exhibit rooms
– Watchtowers, parade grounds, and perimeter fencing
Brig.-Gen. Marwa framed its urgency starkly: “For decades, insecure housing left our personnel vulnerable. Some were trailed home and murdered. This barracks is a shield.” The project aligns with President Tinubu’s *Renewed Hope Agenda*, proving that institutional growth hinges on prioritizing human capital.
The Yola barracks isn’t just brick and mortar; it’s a catalyst for efficiency. Research by *Gough Recruitment* identifies five key employee motivators:
1. Recognition
2. Work-life balance
3. Meaningful work
4. Career growth
5. Fair compensation
Marwa’s NDLEA ticks these boxes. Beyond housing, he’s commissioned a fitness center in Abuja (March 10, 2025) to boost mental and physical readiness, vowing to replicate such facilities nationwide. “Our people are our greatest asset,”he affirmed.
The NDLEA’s strides exemplify how dignity drives performance. As advocates in the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), we applaud this milestone—and challenge other agencies to emulate Marwa’s blueprint. When institutions invest in their workforce, national progress ceases to be rhetoric.
Emmanuel Onwubiko is Founder of HURIWA and former National Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria.
