The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, has urged Nigerians to always remember that the country’s diversity is not a burden but a gift and a trust that all must safeguard.

Naijaonpoint reports that NDLEA Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Saturday, disclosed that Marwa made the remark while delivering the keynote address at the public presentation of a book, Buni Boy, written by late legal luminary Niyi Ayoola-Daniels in Abuja.

Marwa said he has long been an advocate of unity in diversity and the strength that rises from it.

He said, “What moves me most is not only the book itself but also the life of its author and what that life represents. It speaks to the unity and strength woven through our diversity as Nigerians. To many people, the author’s narrative may seem distant, almost unreal, as if drawn from another world. Yet those of us who grew up in the 1960s know it as lived truth. The experience captured in the narrative mirrors the country we once walked through with unguarded hearts.

“The story stirs my memories and reminds me of a time when life was plain in its blessings and people showed more kindness in their daily dealings. This evening, I am not here to retell the story, for it stands strong on its own. Instead, I will reflect on its core theme, to remind Nigerians of this era that our diversity is not a burden but a gift and a trust we must safeguard.

“I have long been an advocate of unity in diversity and of the strength that rises from it. Hence, today’s occasion provides me an opportunity to further amplify the message.

“Before attending NMS, however, I had my primary education across four cities: Zaria, Enugu, Abeokuta, and Lagos. This was the result of my father’s mobile life as a soldier. Living in different sociocultural settings taught me early that people of other tongues and traditions are still my own. That truth has stayed with me ever since.

“The Nigerian Army, where I served for over 30 years, is built on a foundation of unity, and the ideal of one Nigeria shapes its work. That experience only strengthened my conviction. As an officer, I served across the country and built bonds that cut through the artificial barriers created by our sociocultural differences. In the army, intermarriage and close fellowship pushed us to look past ethnic lines and stand together as one.

“On a personal note, my life has taught me that the diversity of this country enriches us. It sharpens our understanding of one another. It strengthens the fabric of our shared existence. It unites far more than it divides, whatever the voices of doubt may say today.”

He recalled that, as Military Administrator of Lagos State, the Yoruba people showed him great love and supported his administration despite their hostility toward the federal government at the time.

According to Marwa, the support he received from Lagos encouraged him to conduct a free and fair election that brought his successor to office.

Marwa emphasised that Nigeria may face its own peculiar challenges due to the poor management of its diversity over the years.

He noted, “Even though the Head of State, then Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, did not interfere in my conduct of the governorship election, the military hierarchy did. After seeing the then Senator Bola Tinubu’s strong campaign and popularity, the military hierarchy instructed me to prevent him from emerging governor because of his pro-democracy activism in NADECO against the military government then but I chose to conduct a free and fair election that produced the most popular candidate as governor of Lagos state. The rest today is history.”

Speaking on the book, Marwa commended the author’s widow, Mrs Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, for keeping her late husband’s memory alive.

He added, “Barrister Niyi Ayoola-Daniels is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on. The Buni Yadi Foundation keeps his ideals alive. I must say that the real-life story told in the book resonates deeply with me. This is not only because I once served as the military governor of the old Borno, where Buni Yadi was then located, but also because I have met the family of the noble Alkali, the judge whose sense of duty anchors the book and shaped the author’s life. It is also because the transformation of an eighteen-year-old boy in the 1960s and the wisdom of a judge who held firmly to justice reflect the very heart of the Nigerian spirit.”

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