By Femi Babafemi
The name Marwa resonates with most Nigerians. In modern times, it is a name that is remembered for good reasons: a recurring decimal in the Nigerian military over the past 100 years; a reference point for excellent public administration in the past 30 years.
Among Nigeria’s humongous population of about 220 million, less than 2,000 bear the name, but the mere mention of it in public or private conversations most certainly evokes the picture of one person in particular. The best-known bearer of the name is none other than Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), CON, OFR, former Military Administrator of Lagos and present chairman and CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Buba Marwa, as he is popularly known, venerated the family name, so much so that those conversant with his pedigree view the retired General as excellence personified. Where some appreciate him for what he has done in the past, many appreciate him more for what he is currently doing at NDLEA, where he has reinvigorated the country’s effort to curb the ravages of illicit drugs and halt the reigns of trafficking gangs and barons.
People in his inner circle, those who have been around him and those who have worked with him in management, aren’t overly surprised at Marwa’s exploits. They will tell you he’s as constant as the North Star. He can be trusted to deliver on any assignment. In that regard, Lagos is one of his testaments. Once too often, you hear nostalgic recollections of the “Days of Marwa” from Lagosians. Occasionally, you come across developments that are rooted in the legacies of his time. That tells you his name is strongly knitted in the tapestry of contemporary Lagos.
From his background, one can deduce that service is the lifeblood of the Marwa family―a family strongly rooted in military service; from his grandfather, Buba Yola, to his father, Buba Marwa; from himself to his younger brother and then to his son. Three generations of the Marwa have served this country, and another generation is currently in the service of the Nigerian Army.
As a soldier, Buba Marwa is well decorated. His military career was characterised by command and staff appointments that include Deputy Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy, Washington DC, and Defence Attachee at the Mission of Nigeria to the UN, New York (1993-1996); Registrar of the Nigeria Defence Academy (1992-1993); military governor of old Borno State (1990-1992); and military administrator of Lagos (1996-1999).
Part of the allure of the Marwa personality, however, lies in his good nature and warm character. He has a Pan-Nigerian outlook forged in the furnace of his peripatetic education (in Enugu, Zaria, Abeokuta, Lagos and Kaduna) and military service across the country (north, south, east and west). Marwa, a firm believer in the oneness of Nigeria, is well-loved anywhere in this country, a fact attested to by his more than 30 chieftaincy titles across the country. A good Muslim. A simple man. Cosmopolitan. Broadminded. Kind. Principled. Endeared to many in Nigeria, Africa and the world.
Marwa the person is a man of quiet disposition, decorum and humility, despite his towering accomplishments. As for his accomplishment, the more you look, the more you see. Sometimes, too, one is tempted to think of him in a literal sense as “The 11th Man” who makes a difference.
He was the 11th Governor of Borno State, where his legacies now dot the landscape of Borno and Yobe. As the 11th Chairman of Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria, DICON, he is remembered for his revolutionary leadership that awakened resourcefulness. He was the 11th Military Administrator of Lagos State, where his imprint is still visible all over Lagos aside from such glaring reminders as Keke Marwa and Marwa Garden. Now as the 11th Chairman and CEO of NDLEA, he has turned around the Agency and earned it a pride of place in the global standing.
Human exploits fossilised over time and great men became yesterday’s men, remembered only when we open the history book. Not so with Marwa. Post-military service, he has managed to remain the man of the moment by dint of hard work and results at DICON, as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, at PACEDA and now at NDLEA.
In a way, NDLEA is Marwa’s introduction to the younger generations of Nigerians. And what an introduction. The Agency set up 34 years ago, went into the doldrums until it was brought out of limbo by the famous Marwa’s Midas touch.
Every week, the Nigerian public is served a digest of seizures of illicit drugs and the arrests and convictions of drug traffickers and barons.
We are seeing all over again the same pattern of achievements that characterised his administration of Lagos, for which he was acclaimed “Nigeria’s Man of the Year 1997” by Newswatch magazine.
The reforms he started at NDLEA have attracted accolades at home and abroad. From obscurity, NDLEA is suddenly basking in the limelight and regarded as one of the top anti-narcotic agencies around the world.
Medals are earned for results. And that is Marwa’s metier: achieving results. That has earned him medals and honours, including a military Distinguished Service Star (DSS) in 1998, national honours of Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2003 and Commander of the Niger (CON) in 2023. He has earned the public’s respect, in addition to a slew of leadership accolades from respected media such as Leadership, The Sun, Vanguard, Blueprint and Champion, among others.
As he turns 71 on September 9, 2024, he deserves our good wishes. We wish a happy birthday to a man who is a good example of how to serve one’s country; we wish good health and more to a man whose achievement is a statement that service to one’s country is a lifelong duty.
• Babafemi is the director of media and advocacy at NDLEA, Abuja
