NDLEA, The Opioid Epidemic – The Sunday Mail

NDLEA, the Opioid epidemic

Dear Editor,

Let’s be honest for a second. In Nigeria, we’ve become a bit numb to big numbers. We hear billions in budgets and millions in populations, and our eyes tend to glaze over. But when I read the latest figures coming out of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), last Sunday, I didn’t just scroll past.

I stopped cold. 7.6 million tramadol pills in one seizure? That isn’t just a number on a spreadsheet; that is a tidal wave of addiction stopped in its tracks. And that’s just from the first week of December. If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you might have noticed a shift.

In a country where we are often sceptical about government agencies—wondering if they have the tools, the will, or the integrity to do the job—the NDLEA has turned into a pleasant anomaly. They are actually showing up. The Agency’s press statement released on December 7, 2025, detailed not just the tramadol, but also a massive 76,273 kilograms of cannabis recovered in intelligence-led raids across the country.

On one hand, it’s terrifying. It shows just how desperate these drug syndicates are to flood our streets, regardless of the consequences. But on the other hand, it’s a huge relief. It proves that people are standing on the wall, watching, and more importantly, acting. We have to give credit where it’s due.

Since Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) took the wheel. The vibe at the agency has changed. It doesn’t feel like business as usual anymore. You get the sense that the officers aren’t just punching a clock; they are energised. The coordination is tighter, the intelligence is sharper, and the results are louder.

It’s rare to see a public institution reinvent itself from the inside out like this, moving from a passive entity to a proactive powerhouse. But what I personally appreciate isn’t just the enforcement—it’s the conversation. Through the “War Against Drug Abuse” (WADA) initiative, they’ve stopped treating drug abuse solely as a criminal issue and started treating it as a public health issue.

They are in schools, religious centres, and communities, trying to talk our youth out of the trap before the handcuffs ever come out. That dual approach—hitting the cartels hard while hugging the community—is the only way we’re ever going to win this battle. For the average Nigerian, these seizures are a wake-up call.

The threat is right next door. But it’s also a reassurance. It’s good to know that while we sleep, there is a competent team out there intercepting the chaos before it reaches our doorsteps. In an era where we find it hard to trust the system, the NDLEA is proving that excellence is actually possible here.

They aren’t perfect, but they are relentless. And right now, that is exactly what we need. So, to the men and women putting themselves in harm’s way to seize those 7.6 million pills: thank you. You’ve earned our respect. Ummul Kathum writes from Faggae, Kano State.

How Presidency can stop frustrated Nigerian students from committing suicide

Dear Editor, President Bola Tinubu must intervene to support frustrated Nigerian students currently at risk of suicide due to poor academic performance and other systemic challenges. The frustrated Nigerian students who are planning to die by suicide because of poor academic performance must be stopped by President Bola Tinubu.

If the Presidency audits its records regarding students who have died by suicide, it will discover that these tragic incidents are increasing. Despite this, a lasting solution is yet to be implemented. Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has recorded students who have died by suicide due to poor academic performance. I do not want to mention the names of the victims in this write-up.

The record is there for whoever wants to verify. Frustrated Nigerian students should be encouraged to seek support, as suicide is never the solution to their challenges. They should share their school challenges with either parents or the Presidency.

The Nigerian parents and alumni of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, including several lawyers, have been thrown into mourning following the death of Ayomiposi Ojajuni, a law student of the Nigerian Law School, Yola campus, who reportedly died by suicide.

I was very shocked when the sad news about the sudden demise of the said student reached me. This is the time for President Tinubu to convene an emergency meeting to discuss how to end further suicides among our students with his ministers and lawmakers.

The Presidency must send a memo to all lecturers in higher institutions to be more lenient and supportive of Nigerian students. Nigerian students of today are tomorrow’s leaders. They must not die by suicide. The Yoruba adage says, “Omo ti ko ti ku, a ko le so wi pe, ko le se rere,” meaning a child who is not yet dead cannot be judged as a failure. Facing challenges is part of the experience; they are inevitable. Any frustrated Nigerian student who is planning to commit suicide is expected to seek help from the Presidency. Jimoh Mumin, Ibadan. He can be reached via jimomumin@yahoo.com.

ASUU strikes’ negative effect

Dear Editor, A country that fails in the education sector has woefully failed in everything. The fact is that knowledge is power. The youths of today are tomorrow’s leaders if they have a qualitative education. It is a pity that the incessant strike might not enable them to realise their dreams, as idleness had converted them into something else in society.

Everybody is bitterly complaining that the youth of nowadays are committing great atrocities in the country, as they are not properly engaged. Apparently, Nigerian students are lagging globally as a result of the incessant strike actions embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

This does not encourage students to stay focused on their academic activities. Those who are courageous among them usually engage in learning one trade or the other to keep themselves busy. Sadly, others have associated with notorious gangs who perpetrate evil across the country.

The incessant strikes by ASUU limit students’ ability to be efficient and dynamic in the course of their studies. The incessant strike is causing setbacks for both students and their parents in all ramifications, as it places them in limbo! Nigerian students are brilliant, but the people in authority should encourage them by acceding to their lecturers’ demands. I, therefore, urge ASUU and the Federal Government to find lasting solutions to the incessant strike actions before they wreak much havoc on the future of Nigerian students. Michael Oladimeji writes from Ibadan, Oyo State

On the Dangote/ NMDPRA kerfuffle

Dear Editor,

The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 does not prohibit the importation of petroleum products into Nigeria. There is no outright ban; rather, the Act supports a deregulated market with regulatory oversight governing imports. Aliko Dangote’s grievance with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) under its former helmsman, Farouk Ahmed, centres on the continued issuance of import licences to petroleum marketers. And then the failure to impose heavy levies and taxes on imported petroleum products.

According to the NMDPRA, Nigeria’s petrol imports increased to an average of 52.1 million litres per day in November. The NMDPRA further disclosed that the NNPC imported the bulk of Nigeria’s petrol requirements in November 2025, with total imports by all marketers amounting to 1.563 billion litres during the month.

In the first round of this battle, Dangote appears to have “won,” as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has replaced Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

They have been succeeded by Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, subject to the Senate’s approval. My take is that this battle will continue. The new chief executives cannot ban the importation of petroleum products by the NNPC or other marketers outright because there is no law to back them.

However, they are likely to engage Dangote cautiously to avoid the fate that befell Farouk Ahmed and Gbenga Komolafe. In my view, this is not a good thing for a regulatory of an industry. If Dangote truly seeks full market patronage, pricing is key. His products must match or beat the cost of imported petroleum products. Marketers operate on a simple philosophy: buy good, sell good.

If Dangote Refinery’s prices and processes are competitive or superior to imported products, no marketer would endure the challenges of sourcing foreign exchange, freight costs, and time delays when a cheaper and readily available alternative exists at their doorstep. Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja.

Nigeria’s health insurance needs an overhaul

Dear Editor, Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) was established with a clear mandate to drive the country toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030. With a stated vision of becoming a leading agency committed to achieving financial access to quality healthcare for all Nigerians, the scheme was designed to remove cost barriers and protect citizens from catastrophic health spending.

Yet, nearly two decades after its conception in different forms, that vision appears increasingly distant from reality. For many Nigerians enrolled under the NHIA, the reality of care is marked by frustration, neglect, and systemic inefficiency. Across the country, patients’ experiences suggest a scheme that exists more on paper than in practice.

While access to healthcare is meant to be guaranteed, the lived experiences of insured patients tell a different story—one that raises serious questions about the credibility and effectiveness of the system. The situation is particularly troubling in many private hospitals, where NHIA patients are often treated as second-class citizens.

Reports abound of healthcare providers paying little or no attention to patients simply because they are enrolled under the insurance scheme. Instead of benefiting from the protections promised by the NHIA, patients are frequently subjected to long delays, limited services, and outright neglect.

A striking example can be found in a popular hospital located in Garki, Abuja, where a separate pharmacy exists solely for NHIA patients. This pharmacy hardly boasts of any essential drugs or medicines. Patients are routinely asked to source their prescribed medications from outside the hospital, defeating the very purpose of insured care and placing additional financial and emotional burdens on already vulnerable individuals.

Even more distressing is the harrowing process of status confirmation by Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs). NHIA patients are often made to wait for hours, and in some cases, days, before approval codes are issued. During this time, treatment is delayed, regardless of the severity of the patient’s condition.

In a healthcare system where time can mean the difference between life and death, such delays are indefensible. Tragically, there have been cases where patients with emergency conditions either died or suffered worsening health outcomes while awaiting HMO approvals.

Rather than providing urgent care and resolving administrative issues afterwards, many facilities choose to delay treatment entirely. This approach reflects a dangerous prioritisation of bureaucracy over human life. Tochukwu Jimo Obi writes from Obosi, Anambra State