NDLEA BOSS BECOMES IDEC PRESIDENT

Lagos

The Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ), Alhaji Bello Lafiaji, has been elected President of the European Working Group of the International Drug Enforcement Conference ( IDEC ).

His election took place at a conference of the organisation at Lima, Peru, recently.  He had the Secretary of the IDEC two years ago.

A total of 400 delegates, representing 70 countries were at the conference.  Prior to the election, there was an overwhelming vote of confidence on the Nigerian's tenure as secretary of the organisation.  He was consequently elected unanimously by participating countries as president.

A statement signed by NDLEA Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Jonah Ache-ma, stated that the Admini-strator of the United States Drug Enforcement Admin-istration ( USDEA ) and the United States Secretary of State, representative of the President of America, Geo-ge Bush, at the meeting, tasked Lafiaji to further ensure positive strides in global drug control, especially in the area of exchange of intelligence and international development.

This, they added, has to do with the development and application of effective anti-money laundering, assets forfeiture and development of new measures towards control of production and distribution of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals.

Achema stated that Lafiaji, being the first African to be appointed into the office, was saddled with the responsibility of mobilising countries and accepting their membership of the organisation, which was aimed at the establishment of a verile counter-narcotic intelligence database and exchange of valuable information among member countries.

He said experts were of the view that the NDLEA boss' appointment was a demonstration of the favou-rable perception of the international community of Nigeria and that Lafiaji's ascendancy to the presidency of the esteem global family of drug control was a further testimony of the positive international accreditation of Nigeria's anti-drug efforts by the present administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, efficiently piloted by the leadership of the NDLEA.

In appreciation of his appointment, Lafiaji, who said he was humbled by the appointment, assured the international community of Nigeria's commitment to the drug war as well as his renewed offensive in the fight against hard drugs, promising to see to the enlistment of more countries into the organisation.

"The fight against hard drugs is not a country affair.  This is because if one country succeeds and neighbouring countries still remain trafficking hubs, then the country may still have to sleep with one eye open", Lafiaji stated.