NDLEA Salary Structure and Ranks in Nigeria

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) plays a significant role in the battle against narcotics and drugs. Nigeria is one of the highest drug-consuming nations in Africa, as 14.3 million people use psychoactive substances without clinical purposes. However, NDLEA is a paramilitary organization responsible for crackdown upon the selling, purchasing, manufacturing, importing or exporting, and trafficking of hard drugs.

Organization Name:	NDLEA (National Drug Law Enforcement Agency)
Monthly Salary Range:	₦45067 – ₦425906
Average Monthly Salary:	₦235486.5
Organization Description:	The NDLEA officer is responsible for cracking down on the drug traffic in the country and controlling the exportation of illegal drugs from the region. An NDLEA officer conducts an investigation and provides evidence to the court about drug dealings and narcotics crimes. He also fights drug smuggling and prevents abuses by arresting drug consumers.
Minimum Qualification:	To become an NDLEA officer, the minimum qualification criteria is secondary education or Trade Test II or III.

With the passage of time, NDLEA has developed a complicated hierarchy and structure within the organization to rank its employees and assign them duties. If you are about to recruit in the agency or apply for a job in NDLEA, you should know about the structure and ranking system of the NDLEA; for example, a candidate with HND is appointed as a level 7 employee, whereas a graduate gets a level 8 job. The structure is complicated, so come with me to understand the NDLEA salary structure plus the ranking.

Overview of NDLEA’s Salary

Here, you can see that the job of an NDLEA officer is not limited. The salary indicates that there is a structured hierarchy in NDLEA depending upon the maximum and minimum income of the employees. The income of an employee is based on his duties, rank, and previous performances.

The minimum income of a paramilitary agency NDLEA employee is ₦45,067 per month, whereas the maximum pay he receives is ₦425,906 per month. At the same time, the average income of an employee is ₦235,486.5 per month. The income depends upon a list of factors such as the bonus and allowances.

Extras

An NDLEA employee receives allowances and insurance facilities from the agency. The allowances are limited according to rank and salary, but there are general insurances and allowances that all the officers receive. In the extras, the major facilities are mentioned below.

• Health Insurance: The government of Nigeria provides health services to the officer and his family without charging a single naira. With this insurance, one can get treatment for complicated diseases such as cardiovascular arrest or brain tumors. Additionally, one can also receive free treatment for his family, including his wife and children only.
• Travel Allowances: NDLEA officers are required to visit different states of Africa, including Uganda, Botswana, or Zimbabwe, for work purposes. For this, the government of the country provides them travel allowances. All facilities are provided such as food, accommodation, travel fair and so on.
• Housing Allowances: Another general allowance all the officers receive from the agency is the houses or places to build a house. The agency is responsible for providing staff with safe and secure houses; therefore, it allocates a special area where officers can live securely. In case there is no house available for the officers, the agency provides them with a monthly stipend to cover the rental expenses.

Salary Structure

Ranks	Monthly Salaries by Ranks
COMPASS grade 1	N45,067 per monthly
COMPASS grade 2	N46,320 per monthly
COMPASS grade 3	N48,854 per monthly
COMPASS grade 4	N51,645 per monthly
COMPASS grade 5	N54,746 per monthly
COMPASS grade 6	N90,456 per monthly
COMPASS grade 7	N110,743 per monthly
COMPASS grade 8	N143,023 per monthly
COMPASS grade 9	N151,739 per monthly
COMPASS grade 10	N205,673 per monthly
COMPASS grade 11	N220,384 per monthly
COMPASS grade 12	N236,578 per monthly
COMPASS grade 13	N307,826 per monthly
COMPASS grade 14	N353,238 per monthly
COMPASS grade 15	N425,906 per monthly
COMPASS grade 16	N425,906 per monthly

Commissioned Officers Ranking

Commissioned Officers are chosen after comprehensive research work and investigation. Commission positions are the most sensitive occupations in NDLEA, and a strong academic achievement record is very important to get hired for commission positions.

The highest rank, commander-general, is selected by the President. Here is a list of commission officers.

Rank	Duties	Positions
Commander General of Narcotics	Highest Position (selected by the President of Nigeria)	CGN
Deputy Commander General of Narcotics	Important position below CGN and play a role in leadership	DCGN
Assistant Commander General of Narcotics	To support the senior authorities and provide information.	ACGN
Commander of Narcotics	Take the measures to arrest the giant drug dealers and be responsible for specific areas.	CN
Deputy Commander of Narcotics	Support in agency operations and planning to assist commanders	DCN
Assistant Commander of Narcotics	Plans and executes the plans of higher authorities.	ACN
Chief Superintendent of Narcotics	Coordinates with other commission members and manages the operations	CSN
Superintendent of Narcotics	Deals with the local area’s operation and provides information to the higher authorities.	SN
Deputy Superintendent of Narcotics	Assisting the junior officers in management	DSN
Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics I	Guide to the Junior Officers	ASN I
Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics II	Recruit the junior officers responsible for arresting drug smugglers	ASN II

Non-Commissioned NDLEA Officers

The low-rank officers are appointed on the basis of their qualifications and experience. The non-commissioned NDLEA officers should pass exams for the training and interview before recruitment.

Their responsibilities are not more than implementing the law and enforcing rules over the general public. Here is a list of non-commissioned officers.

Rank	Duties	Positions
Chief Narcotic Agent	Managing the staff of the NDLEA and implementing plans of Commissioned officers	CNA
Senior Narcotic Agent	Investigating the malfunctioning societies and arresting smugglers	SNA
Senior Narcotic Assistant I	Assisting the higher rank and providing reports.	SNA I
Narcotic Agent	Enforcing law and order	NA
Narcotic Assistant I	Assisting officers in operations	NA I
Narcotic Assistant	Assisting officers in operations	NA

Responsibilities Of NDLEA Officers

1. Public Awareness: NDLEA officers visit different institutes where young people are available in vast numbers because the majority of drug abusers are young people. They give lectures on drug consumption and its abusive usage. Secondly, they run campaigns on social media for public awareness.
2. Collaboration: The officers collaborate with different institutes, such as the military or the police, to track drug dealers and abusers. They also appoint spies to track the drug dealing activities in the area.
3. Arresting Culprits: The NDLEA has criteria for drug criminals; it arrests all those people who sell drugs illegally and provides it to underage consumers.
4. Presenting Evidence: It is the responsibility of the NDLEA officers to present evidence against the culprit so the court can sentence a punishment on the basis of facts.
5. Investigation: The NDLEA officers investigate the drug traffic by following multiple disciplines. They spy on abusers, act as drug consumers, or become part of drug-consuming gangs to investigate the masterminds behind the catastrophe.

After awareness came regarding drug abuse and narcotics, the government took serious action to eliminate illegitimate smugglers of drugs. Therefore, it modified the structure and ranking system of the NDLEA to make it more efficient and proactive. The ranking system and structure are based on military structure and provide all the facilities like a national force; anyhow, I have explained the NDLEA salary structure and rank with all the fundamental details.