The Chairman and Chief Executive of the Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), has urged political parties to make drug integrity tests part of the screening requirements for aspirants seeking to contest political offices in the 2023 elections on their respective platforms.

Marwa stated this while responding to questions from newsmen at the 2022 First Quarter Best Performing Commands Awards ceremony at the Agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, 27th April 2022.

The boss disclosed that the anti-narcotic agency had been seriously advocating for all public office holders, including political appointees to undergo drug integrity tests before they would be certified fit to take public offices.

He said, “For politicians, we have long advocated and I take the opportunity again to repeat the advocacy that when they run for public office, it demands a lot of responsibility from the person and we need to be certain if he’s a person that is already a drug addict/user who will spend all the money he’s given for public service to consume cocaine and his head will not be in a stable condition to handle the affairs he has been entrusted with.

“For this reason, we have advocated and will continue to advocate that drug test be conducted for politicians. Some state governments like Kano State is already doing this.

“Not just politicians, but government appointees, and I have just sent a letter this morning to the National Chairman of the APC, who will be the first of the national working committee I wish to pay an advocacy visit on this issue.

“I recommended that drug tests be incorporated in the screening process for all those interested in running for public office. We will do the same to the PDP and other important parties.”

Marwa further hinted that when it’s the turn of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties to conduct its party primaries, the anti-drug agency would also write the parties’ national chairmen and request that operatives of the NDLEA be allowed to conduct drugs integrity tests on their members aspiring for various political offices.

The NDLEA boss while further speaking to the members of the agency said, “We should all be mindful that we hold the fate of the NDLEA in our hands, and that fate will be determined by our patriotism and dedication to duty, as well as our collective resolve to work towards the attainment of the agency’s mandate.

“Let me also seize this occasion to remind you about the importance of propagating the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) programme in your various commands. There is much we can achieve when our communities are working hand-in-hand with us. That is why our roadmap, the NDCMP 2021-2025, strongly emphasizes collaboration with all the stakeholders in the society.

“We have to woo members of society to work with us on this very important assignment. Therefore, I charge you to ensure that WADA is correctly and deeply entrenched in the spheres of operation of your respective commands”, he stated.

Marwa, who disclosed that the agency was proud of the officers, stressed, “The sacrifice of a narcotic officer cannot be quantified in gold or silver, for he is fulfilling a higher calling.

“As we go about our duty of securing our society against the corrosion of illicit drugs, we should be aware that we are the direct beneficiaries of our work because for every kilo of drugs seized, we are making our streets and society safer for our children, family and kinsmen.

“NDLEA is proud of its workforce. The Agency treasures the effort of its officers and men. The management shall continue to look out for their best interest. We shall continue to reward hard work and excellence.” He landed.

It’s no longer news that the NDLEA, as being currently headed by Marwa, is obviously doing wonders to eradicate all forms of drug abuse across the shores of Nigeria.

However, as a concerned Nigerian, I urge the management of the agency to ensure thorough speedy prosecution of the suspects in their custody is taken seriously towards serving as a deterrent to other prospective drug addicts.

It’s unequivocally a good and commendable move for the agency to recommend for a drug integrity test among Nigeria’s politicians seeking various political positions come 2023. This will go a long way to ensure that the chaffs are duly separated from the grains, to assert the least.

In view of this, I enjoin the NDLEA to expedite actions towards ensuring that its quest to totally get rid of drug abuse in the entire Nigeria’s society doesn’t die in the long run.

Hence, it must be ready to collaborate with anybody with a view to arriving at the desired destination.

The highlight of the week is the story of Yul Edochie, the renowned Nollywood actor who announced on his social media pages yesterday that he has married a second wife.

I will try to analyze this situation by the position of the law as to whether the act of Yul Edochie marrying a second wife while his first marriage is still subsisting is an offense known to the Nigerian law or not.

Since I cannot authoritatively verify nor state if Yul Edochie married his first wife, Mrs. May Edochie under the act or not, I will just make a wild assumption that he didn’t because if he did and he went on to marry a second wife he has committed a crime known in law as bigamy which is punishable in Nigeria with 5-7 years imprisonment.

Bigamy simply means the offence of marrying someone else while already married to another person and it is a criminal offense in Nigeria.

If you are legally and validly married to a person under the Marriage Act in Nigeria, you are not permitted to marry someone else while your previous marriage is subsisting and your wife or husband is still alive, if you do you have committed a crime and you can go to jail for it.

A marriage conducted under the act is a marriage that is conducted in a marriage registry or any recognized place of worship and a marriage certificate was issued to the newly wedded couples certifying that they have been legally joined together in accordance with the marriage act.

While such marriage is still subsisting, you are not to marry another person and you cannot validly marry another person if you do you have committed a crime known as bigamy.

The best legal advice in this matter for intending couples who wish to marry numerous wives/ husbands or marry another wife after the first marriage is “don’t get married under the act”, you can choose to go with traditional marriages or church marriage insofar as the church does not issue valid marriage certificates.

Back to the Yul Edochie’s issue, if Yul Edochie did got married under the act and went ahead to take a second wife as he purports then Yul have committed an offense known as bigamy punishable with 5-7 years jail term.