CEO appointed to NDA after 4-month wait

Mohamed Habeeb has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer of National Drug Agency (NDA).

The appointment comes after NDA – established nine years ago under the Anti-Narcotics Act – has been running without a CEO for over four months.

NDA announced the appointment of the new CEO on Tuesday.

Habeeb, the new CEO, obtained his Master’s Degree from the International College of Business and Technology. He has experience in executive positions, and previously worked at the Local Government Authority (LGA), Dhiraagu, and Maxcom Technologies.

Habeeb replaces former CEO Hassan Shaheel, who resigned on September 27, 2020 alleging he was being threatened using drug addicts, and harassed on social media based on unfounded allegations.

Following Shaheel’s resignation, NDA was managed by Deputy Director-General Ali Shareef.

NDA is the main State institution charged with executing the policies established under the Anti-Narcotics Act.

The appointment of a new CEO to the institution comes after vacancy announcements were posted three times.

Habeeb’s appointment as NDA’s new CEO comes as the institution faces allegations of mismanagement, prompting calls for sweeping reforms.