Author: Gist Correspondent

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has identified cannabis as the most widely used illicit drug in Nigeria, urging stronger national support for alternative crop development to curb its cultivation.

Marwa made this known on Tuesday during a media briefing in Abuja, where he revealed that cannabis accounts for about 75 per cent of all drug seizures recorded by the agency in the last five years.

He called for sustained backing for the NDLEA’s alternative development programme, recently launched to encourage cannabis farmers to transition to lawful and sustainable crops capable of improving rural livelihoods and enhancing national security. 

Describing the initiative as a “win-win solution,” Marwa said the programme is designed to reduce illicit drug production while boosting rural economies and easing the burden on law enforcement agencies.

According to him, the alternative development programme goes beyond drug control, serving as a people-focused intervention aimed at empowering communities, strengthening national security and safeguarding Nigeria’s future.

The NDLEA boss disclosed that the pilot phase of the programme was launched last week in three major cannabis-producing communities in Ondo State, noting that it has already attracted positive responses from traditional rulers and farmers.

Marwa said the beneficiaries acknowledged that the initiative had renewed their confidence in government by offering them a dignified and legal means of livelihood.

Highlighting the scale of drug abuse in the country, he cited the 2018 National Drug Use Survey, which indicated that over 10.6 million Nigerian adults used cannabis within a one-year period, making it the most abused illicit substance nationwide.

He further revealed that an estimated 8,900 hectares of land are currently under cannabis cultivation, particularly in high-risk areas across the South-West.

Marwa added that the NDLEA has seized more than 15 million kilograms of illicit drugs across the country in the past five years, with cannabis constituting the bulk of the seizures.

He expressed concern over the devastating impact such quantities of drugs could have had on youths, public health and national security, but remained optimistic that sustained political will and community support would help reverse the trend.

“With the right support, we can build a safer, healthier and more prosperous Nigeria in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration,” Marwa said.