diff --git a/include/nl-aux-core/nl-core.h b/include/nl-aux-core/nl-core.h
index c6bdbebb..5198296f 100644
--- a/include/nl-aux-core/nl-core.h
+++ b/include/nl-aux-core/nl-core.h
@@ -5,21 +5,16 @@
 
 #include "base/nl-base-utils.h"
 
-#if NL_DEBUG
 #define NL_DBG(LVL, FMT, ARG...)                                           \
 	do {                                                               \
-		if (LVL <= nl_debug) {                                     \
-			int _errsv = errno;                                \
+		if ((NL_DEBUG) && (LVL) <= nl_debug) {                     \
+			const int _errsv = errno;                          \
+                                                                           \
 			fprintf(stderr, "DBG<" #LVL ">%20s:%-4u %s: " FMT, \
 				__FILE__, __LINE__, __func__, ##ARG);      \
 			errno = _errsv;                                    \
 		}                                                          \
 	} while (0)
-#else /* NL_DEBUG */
-#define NL_DBG(LVL, FMT, ARG...) \
-	do {                     \
-	} while (0)
-#endif /* NL_DEBUG */
 
 struct nl_addr;
 void nl_addr_put(struct nl_addr *);
diff --git a/lib/route/neigh.c b/lib/route/neigh.c
index 1f19fed0..7e698b49 100644
--- a/lib/route/neigh.c
+++ b/lib/route/neigh.c
@@ -242,9 +242,7 @@ static void neigh_keygen(struct nl_object *obj, uint32_t *hashkey,
 		uint16_t	n_vlan;
 		char		n_addr[0];
 	} _nl_packed *nkey;
-#if NL_DEBUG
 	char buf[INET6_ADDRSTRLEN+5];
-#endif
 
 	if (neigh->n_family == AF_BRIDGE) {
 		if (neigh->n_lladdr)
diff --git a/lib/route/route_obj.c b/lib/route/route_obj.c
index 488cff5b..50775937 100644
--- a/lib/route/route_obj.c
+++ b/lib/route/route_obj.c
@@ -345,9 +345,7 @@ static void route_keygen(struct nl_object *obj, uint32_t *hashkey,
 		uint32_t	rt_prio;
 		char 		rt_addr[0];
 	} _nl_packed *rkey = NULL;
-#if NL_DEBUG
 	char buf[INET6_ADDRSTRLEN+5];
-#endif
 
 	if (route->rt_dst)
 		addr = route->rt_dst;
@@ -502,9 +500,7 @@ static int route_update(struct nl_object *old_obj, struct nl_object *new_obj)
 	struct rtnl_route *old_route = (struct rtnl_route *) old_obj;
 	struct rtnl_nexthop *new_nh;
 	int action = new_obj->ce_msgtype;
-#if NL_DEBUG
 	char buf[INET6_ADDRSTRLEN+5];
-#endif
 
 	/*
 	 * ipv6 ECMP route notifications from the kernel come as