United States Consul General, Lagos, Mr. Jeffery Hawkins has described Nigeria as a great partner of the United States in drug control. The US envoy who spoke while presenting technical equipment to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos said that the equipment will be used in the establishment of a Centre for intelligence sharing between the two countries.
“NDLEA is a great partner for the United States in drug control. The United States embarks on serious war against narcotics and we are proud to contribute in developing the capacity of the NDLEA through the establishment of a Centre for intelligence sharing” Hawkins stated.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Ahmadu Giade who received the items said that the country’s partnership with the United States has been very fruitful. “The relationship between the United States Government and the Government of Nigeria has been characterized by similar gestures in the area of technical support. It is important to acknowledge your sustained determination to support Nigeria in winning the fight against notorious drug trafficking syndicates. This assistance to the Agency is highly treasured” Giade stated.
The NDLEA boss attributed the high performance of the Agency to the growing support and partnership it has with the United States. In his words, “our collaboration in the area of intelligence gathering and joint operations has undisputedly led to high profile seizures and arrests. Training remains vital to the success of any intelligence-driven task like drug control. Your training programmes for operatives as well as high level seminars and workshops have helped greatly to enhance the capacity of personnel. We are appreciative of your support and highly motivated by your continued determination to extend our frontiers of success in the drug war”.
According to Giade, “the Agency’s investigative capacity at the airports has been greatly enhanced with the provision of scanners by the United States Government. The Agency will continue to justify the confidence you repose in us”.
While appreciating the removal of Nigeria from the Drug Majors List by the US he equally called on the envoy to assist the Agency in advocacy campaign. “The prompt and objective assessment by the United States Government which led to the removal of Nigeria from the “Drug Majors List” has further increased the tempo of our campaign. We hope we can count on your advocacy support to ensure that more attention and resources are devoted to the all-important war against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking” Giade stated.
