Lagos, Apr 5 (IANS): The Nigerian government has announced that drug control became a national agenda following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would inflict a maximum loss on drug cartels.

The MoU is expected to inflict severe losses on the drug cartel bent on trafficking illicit substances to the detriment of Nigerians.

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Chairman Buba Marwa and Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali, signed the MoU in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Tuesday.

In his speech, Marwa said he was happy that the two government agencies had decided to write down how they work together in an MoU, adding that the move was certainly a benchmark for information and intelligence sharing, Xinhua news agency reported.

The document contained some innovations that would encourage interpersonal relationships among the rank and file at various levels of command and administration for the two organisations, he added.

He said that it provided for joint training of personnel just as it made provisions for regular meetings of command officers at various levels of command structures.

On his part, Ali said the MoU would help send a very strong signal in the fight against crime.

Ali reiterated that the coming together of both agencies would not only send a signal to the nation but also to the international partners that the agencies were committed to protecting the borders from illicit drugs.