The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that music star, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, who was recently engaged in its drug abuse advocacy campaign, is not an ambassador of the anti-graft agency.
The NDLEA said its engagement with Naira Marley was to encourage him to use his skills and platforms to put out content that will discourage millions of his followers and Nigerian youths from substance abuse.
The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, stated this in a statement on Saturday.
The NDLEA spokesperson noted that the clarification became necessary following continued misrepresentation of the purpose of the visit especially on online platforms where some reports suggest that the British-Nigerian singer was appointed as an NDLEA Ambassador.
“This is misleading and absolute falsehood as the pictures of the visit and the short video containing Naira Marley’s advocacy message to his followers were properly captioned and shared by the Agency without any suggestion of such an appointment. The decision by the agency to encourage Naira Marley with over seven million followers, half the population of those who abuse drugs in Nigeria, to use his platform to share anti-substance abuse messages as against using same to promote and glamourise drug abuse with the dire consequence of misleading millions of Nigerian youths into their peril, is to create a balance between our drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
“This is also in line with the Agency’s whole society approach to the fight against drug abuse and in tune with global best practices as well as the theme for this year’s World Drug Day; People First: Stop Stigma and Discrimination, Strengthen Prevention. When an artiste, who professes marijuana is good to seven million followers turns a new leaf after some serious counselling, do we reject him, turn our back on him and allow him to continue in his old habit or do we accept him, give him a chance so he can reach out to his followers to quit substance abuse.
