Company: National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Ikoyi, Lagos-Nigeria
Company Description: The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency is Nigeria's sole counter- narcotics agency. Established in 1989, the Agency is made up of 4,000 disposed across the country to combat illicit drug traffickers. The Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency is Alhaji (Dr.) Bello Lafiaji who has received honours both home and abroad for his streak of successes at the Agency.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Chairman

Nomination Title: ALHAJI (DR) BELLO LAFIAJI, CHAIRMAN/CHIEF EXECUTIVE

1. Tell the story about what this nominee achieved in the past year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency was set up in 1989 to combat illicit
drug trafficking, abuse and money laundering. But the Agency had remained a still-
 birth under past six Chief Executives, leading to the stigmatisation of Nigeria
as a drug trafficking and money-laundering hub, due to the lacklustre counter
narcotic efforts of the Agency. But this negative perception changed following the
appointment, October 2000 of Alhaji (Dr.) Bello Lafiaji, a veteran intelligence
administrator to head the Agency.

Lafiaji professionalized the agency, refocused and restructured it, resulting in a
phenomenal record of performance, which has helped to redeem the image of
Nigeria, hitherto regarded as a pariah nation, saving the economy from fiscal
distortions arising from laundered assets and protecting businesses from
unhealthy competitions from illicit drug businesses and money laundering.

Six months after his appointment as Chairman, Lafiaji reversed the seven-year de-
certification of Nigeria by the United States as a result of the non-performance of
the Agency. He has sustained the annual certification for the fourth consecutive
time since he assumed office. He has motivated staff through training and
promotion, leading to all time high arrests of drug offenders and prosecution of
same, expanded the frontiers of the country’s counter narcotic efforts beyond
Nigeria to other West African countries under his initiative called the West
African Joint Operations, WAJO, enabling west African countries to conduct joint drug operations and exchange drug intelligence. Lafiaji upgraded the Agency training Academy to African Regional Academy for Drug Control to cater for training needs
of other African Country’s drug enforcement needs.

Last year, Lafiaji sponsored a resolution on the extension of Alternative
Development Programme to African Countries on the floor of the United Nations
General Assembly on Drug Control, which was passed. This is a land mark effort
because cultivators of Indian hemp, also called Cannabis Sativa will be
encouraged and assisted to cultivate other licit but lucrative crops, thus reducing
their interest in the cultivation of the illicit crop.

All of these achievements are in the face of crippling financial constraints
faced by the Agency compared to the stupendous riches of drug barons, and the
vicious attacks of drug barons on Agency officers. For his resourcefulness, resilience, courage and initiatives, Lafiaji has received all known awards and honours at home including two prestigious National Honours of Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON and Officer of the Federal Republic, aside from Presidential Commendations for his contribution to the improved image of Nigeria.

2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

http://www.thisdayonline.com Monday March 22, 2004;
http://www.sunnewsonline.com August 28, 2003
http://www.thisdayonline.com
October 11, 2003  http://www.dailyindependent.com;
http://www.vanguardngr.com April 23, 2004; http://www.punchonline.com
November 23, 2003

3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about this nominee:

Lafiaji has been everything in the Nigerian intelligence hemisphere, having served
as a policeman, pioneered the National Intelligence Agency and the State Security
Service before he was drafted to the drug battlefront.

Lafiaji, who hails from Kankia Local Government Area of Katsina State, was born
in Katsina on February 2, 1952. He had his primary and secondary education at
Nasarawa Primary School Katsina and Government Secondary School, Katsina
from 1968 to 1972, respectively.

 Lafiaji joined the Nigeria Police Force at the Police College, Ikeja. He had his
security intelligence background at the SSS Training School, Lagos.  He attended
the Institute of Strategic Studies Cairo, Egypt in 1975 and the National
Intelligence Academy, Fort Lauderdale, USA (1978).

He also attended the National War College, the highest military training
institution in Nigeria.

He is current President, African/European Working Group of the International Drug
Enforcement Conference.