NDLEA BOSS TASKS STATE COMMANDERS

Lagos

Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
(NDLEA), Alhaji Bello Lafiaji, has charged the NDLEA state and special area
commanders to demonstrate more sense of accountability and responsibility in
their stewardship to ensure an unparalleled performance by the turn of the
year.

According to a statement by Mr. Jonah Achema, Assistant Director, Public
Affairs of the Agency, the NDLEA Comman-ders' Summit, which held in Lagos
last week, was used to passed the message across. The summit, which was the
second this year, was convened to xray the performance of the commanders
with a view to inculcating the cardinal objectives of "accountability and
responsibility." All commanders of the 36 states and the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT) as well as ten special area commanders were in attendance.

The statement added that Lafiaji, who viewed accountability as being
"honest, transparent, fair and conscientious," noted that responsibility was
among other things being "reasonable, sensible, rational and patriotic,"
stressing that the only way to safeguard the soaring reputation of the
Agency is to sustain the present excellent public relations, excellent
operational results, effective prosecution of drug offenders and visible
drug demand reduction efforts.

He commended commanders, who had done exceedingly well within the first half
of the year, but enjoined all to redouble their efforts for an optimal
performance at the end of the year because the Agency has the corporate
vision of exceeding its overall performance in 2003.

"These include ensuring the recertification of Nigeria; curtailing drug
supply and transit through Nigeria; prosecution of offenders as well as
sufficient preventive drug abuse awareness education," he stated.

He advised them to maintain good rapport with their respective host
communities, governments and corporate agencies because the drug war is one
that requires the involvement of all.

He, therefore, warned the commanders against excuses, indolence,
compromises, illegal operations, misappropriation of assistance, lack of
initiative, which he described as antithetical and counterproductive.