Recall that Naira Marley visited the Agency’s headquarters on Thursday, August 17, where he declared his support for the war against substance abuse.
The anti-drug agency also shared photos and videos of the musician with their chairman, Buba Marwa.
Watch a clip of him speaking against drug abuse below,
However, this didn’t go down well with many Nigerians who criticized the agency for choosing Naira Marley to speak against drug abuse, despite his history of promoting and using drugs.
Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh, also went online to express her disappointment in the agency for inviting the 32-year-old rapper for their drug abuse advocacy.
“This I must say is the biggest embarrassment from any government agency/drug law enforcement agency,” she said in part.
In an exclusive interview with Saturday Beats, the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, explained that they chose Naira Marley because of his influence as the leader of the “Marlian movement.”
He said,
“It is an advocacy engagement with him. It is what we do as part of the responsibilities of the agency to promote advocacy messages that would discourage people from substance abuse. It is about the message.
“Don’t forget that he has a lot of young followers— Marlians— that look up to him. The idea is for the leader of the movement (Marlians) to come out and ask people to stop substance abuse, and live a new life.”
Babafemi, however, noted that the singer’s advocacy doesn’t mean he is immune to the legal consequences of using drugs, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to enforcing drug laws.
He also recounted how Naira Marley’s associates, Zinoleesky and Mohbad, were arrested last year for drug-related charges.
“Last year, we arrested some of his artistes (Zinoleesky and Mohbad). That is to show that we are not closing our eyes. If the same Naira Marley is caught with illicit substances tomorrow, he will face sanctions,” he added.
