OSRS Honours NDLEA Chairman, Marwa With Security Leader Of The Year 2025 Award
Ogun Security Research and Strategic Consulting LLC (OSRS), a United States-based security research and strategy firm, has presented its Security Leader of the Year 2025 Award to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), CON, OFR.
The award was formally presented on Tuesday at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja by the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of OSRS, Dr. Sunday Oludare Ogunlana, who led a cross-generational delegation comprising professionals, public affairs experts, engineers, educators, entrepreneurs and student leaders from across Africa.
OSRS had announced Marwa as the recipient of the award on December 25, 2025, following what it described as an independent, AI-assisted and evidence-based assessment of Nigeria’s security landscape.
The organisation said the NDLEA under Marwa’s leadership emerged as the highest-ranked institution after evaluations across four key pillars: operational effectiveness and national impact, respect for human rights and the rule of law, employee welfare and discipline, and public trust and institutional credibility.
Speaking during the presentation, Dr. Ogunlana said the recognition was based on measurable achievements rather than personal considerations.
“This award is not about personality. It is about proof. In a year of pressure and uncertainty, General Marwa’s leadership showed that results, reform and trust can coexist. Under his command, the NDLEA has distinguished itself among Nigeria’s security institutions and earned the confidence of the public it serves,” he said.
According to OSRS, developments since the award announcement have further validated its decision.
The organisation cited NDLEA’s record of securing 974 convictions in the first quarter of 2026, including the conviction of 11 alleged drug kingpins who received a combined 254-year jail sentence.
The firm also highlighted the agency’s international partnerships, noting that the United States Drug Enforcement Administration reaffirmed its collaboration with the NDLEA in April and commended the agency’s operational successes.
OSRS further referenced a major operation in May in which NDLEA special teams dismantled what was described as the largest methamphetamine laboratory ever discovered in Nigeria.
The operation reportedly led to the seizure of more than 2,400 kilograms of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals valued at over N480 billion, while 10 suspects, including three foreign nationals, were arrested.
The presentation ceremony featured a delegation intentionally drawn from different generations and professional backgrounds.
Among those present were Olufemi Lawson, Director of Public Communications at OSRS; Engineer Kasali Omotayo, FNSE; Osikenyi Eyinnaya Osisiogu, President of the All-Africa Students Union; Mohammed Basah, OSRS Country Representative; Evelyn Dan Epelle, Public Affairs Strategist; Michelle Peter, President of the Youth Initiative for Sustainable Development; Judith Iya, Chief Executive Officer of Juway Limited; Yemi Iya; Dooter Deborah; Elvis Onyenobi; and Amina Aminu.
Dr. Ogunlana said the inclusion of young leaders was deliberate and intended to inspire future generations to uphold standards of excellence in public service.
“Security is a shared trust, passed from one generation to the next. We brought young African leaders into this room not as spectators, but as witnesses and future custodians of the standard General Marwa has set,” he said.
The presence of the All-Africa Students Union, headquartered in Accra, Ghana, added a continental dimension to the event, linking Nigeria’s anti-drug efforts with broader African aspirations for security and development.
OSRS also disclosed that the NDLEA would feature prominently in its forthcoming study on the national security doctrine of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to the organisation, the study will examine how intelligence-led operations, institutional reforms and internal discipline within the agency have produced measurable national impact.
The award citation commended Marwa for what it described as “decisive, intelligence-led leadership and measurable results” in Nigeria’s fight against illicit drugs, noting that under his leadership the NDLEA has dismantled trafficking networks, disrupted criminal supply chains and set a benchmark for professionalism, integrity and institutional discipline among the nation’s security agencies.
