Jane Salihu
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, has called for a coordinated national response and sustained support for the Alternative Development Programme aimed at curbing illicit cannabis cultivation, uplifting rural communities, and strengthening national security.
Marwa made the call at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, while seeking nationwide backing for the initiative, the first of its kind in Africa.
The pilot scheme was recently launched in three cannabis-producing communities—Ilu Abo, Ifon and Eleyewo—in Ondo State.
Explaining the strategy behind the programme, the NDLEA boss said alternative development goes beyond crop substitution, describing it as a people-centred intervention designed to address the root causes of illicit drug cultivation.
According to him, the initiative strengthens rural economies through value-chain development, reduces pressure on law enforcement and the justice system, promotes peace and social cohesion in crime-prone areas, supports food production and agricultural diversification, and improves Nigeria’s international standing in global drug control and development cooperation.
“This approach represents a win-win solution for communities, government and national security,” Marwa said. “The successful take-off of the pilot scheme in Ondo State clearly demonstrates that alternative development works when communities are engaged, supported and empowered.”
He called on all stakeholders—including federal, state and local governments, traditional rulers, community leaders, development partners, donor agencies, the private sector, civil society organisations and the media—to support the programme’s expansion.
Marwa also urged communities affected by illicit drug cultivation across the country to embrace the model and work with the NDLEA to build lawful and productive livelihoods.
“Let me reiterate that the Alternative Development Programme is not just a drug control initiative; it is a people-centred development intervention designed to uplift communities, strengthen national security and secure Nigeria’s future,” he said.
The NDLEA chairman assured that the agency remains fully committed to expanding the programme nationwide in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Reflecting on the pilot scheme in Ondo State, Marwa said one of its most encouraging outcomes was the overwhelming acceptance by host communities and their traditional leaders, who, according to him, expressed renewed confidence in government.
He noted that the programme offers farmers dignified and lawful sources of income, reduces poverty and vulnerability among rural households, improves food security through viable alternative crops, and enhances community stability and safety by disrupting criminal networks linked to drug cultivation.
Marwa said the alarming scale of illicit cannabis cultivation and use in Nigeria necessitated a shift from enforcement-only strategies to a United Nations-endorsed alternative development approach.
Citing the 2018 National Drug Use Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics with technical support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), he disclosed that an estimated 14.4 per cent of Nigerians aged 15 to 64—about 14.3 million people used at least one psychoactive substance within a year, more than double the global average.
He added that cannabis remains the most widely used and cultivated illicit drug in Nigeria, with about 10.6 million adults reporting its use annually.
Field assessments in high-risk areas of the South-West, he said, revealed that nearly 8,900 hectares of land are under cannabis cultivation, often controlled by organised networks supplying both local and international markets.
Marwa further revealed that over 75 per cent of the 15 million kilograms of illicit drugs seized by the NDLEA in the past five years were cannabis, warning of the severe social, health and security implications for the country.
Despite the challenges, he expressed confidence that the alternative development initiative would reverse the trend if supported nationwide, commending local and international partners for their support, including the UNODC, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD), Mae Fah Luang Foundation, and development partners from several countries.
The pilot scheme was flagged off with the support of the Ondo State Government, led by Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa, and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, represented at the event by the Regional Director, South-West, Mrs. Alao Temitayo.
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