Illicit drugs: Marwa calls for national response, support for alternative development

The Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, has called for a strong national response and sustained support for the alternative development programme recently initiated.

This initiative was established to curb illicit cannabis cultivation, uplift rural communities and strengthen national security.

Marwa spoke at a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja to drum up support for the first in Africa drug control initiative, whose pilot scheme was launched in three cannabis growing communities in Ondo state last week.

While explaining the alternative development strategy of drug control, the NDLEA boss said the concept goes far beyond crop substitution, stressing that its wider benefits included strengthening rural economies.

These he said were through value-chain development, reducing the burden on law enforcement and the justice system, promoting peace and social cohesion in previously crime-prone areas.

This, he added, also includes supporting national food production and agricultural diversification, improving Nigeria’s international standing in global drug control and development cooperation.

According to him, this approach represents a win-win solution for communities, for the government, and for national security.

“The successful take off of the pilot scheme in Ilu Abo, Ifon, and Eleyewo in Ondo state last week clearly demonstrates that alternative development works when communities are engaged, supported, and empowered.

“We therefore call for a strong national response and sustained support from all stakeholders across all layers of government.

“We call on traditional rulers and community leaders, development partners and donor agencies, the private sector and agricultural value-chain actors as well as civil society organisations and the media.”

Marwa also urged communities across the country, particularly those affected by illicit drug cultivation, to embrace the model and work with the NDLEA in building lawful, productive, and secure livelihoods.

He reiterated that the alternative development programme was not just a drug control initiative, adding that it was a people-centred development intervention designed to uplift communities, strengthen national security, and secure Nigeria’s future.

The NDLEA Chairman assured that the agency remained fully committed to expanding the programme nationwide, in partnership with all stakeholders.

Speaking on the successful inauguration of the scheme in Ondo, Marwa said that one of the most encouraging outcomes of the pilot project had been the overwhelming acceptance.

“They recognise that Alternative Development offers a dignified and lawful source of income for farmers; reduction in poverty and vulnerability especially among rural households.

“It also improved food security through the introduction of viable alternative crops; enhanced community stability and safety, as illicit drug cultivation often fuels criminal networks and insecurity,”he maintained.

Marwa noted that replacing cannabis cultivation with sustainable agricultural and economic opportunities, the programme directly tackles the root causes of drug production rather than merely treating the symptoms.

The NDLEA boss said the dire reality of illicit cannabis cultivation and use in Nigeria made the agency to look beyond law enforcement and consider a United Nations endorsed alternative to solving the cannabis conundrum.

He added that the evidence-based comprehensive data on drug use in Nigeria exposed a bleak and deeply troubling reality.

According to the 2018 National Drug Use Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics with technical support from the UNODC, an estimated 14.4 per cent of Nigerians aged 15–64 years or roughly 14.3 million people reported using at least one psychoactive substance in the past year.

“This is a figure that is more than twice the global prevalence of drug use. Cannabis stands starkly at the centre of this crisis, dominating both patterns of consumption and the illicit cultivation landscape,” he said.

The NDLEA boss further disclosed that cannabis was not a marginal issue in Nigeria, adding that it was the most frequently used and widely available illicit drug in the country.

Marwa said that an estimated 10.6 million adults, more than one in every 10 Nigerians in their prime of life, reported using cannabis in the past year, far outstripping the use of other drugs.

He said that the severity of the problem extends beyond consumption into widespread cultivation and organised production.

“Field assessments focusing on high-risk areas in the South West reveal that nearly 8,900 hectares of land are under cannabis cultivation, often hidden deep within forests and remote regions.

“These illicit farms are clustered and interconnected, hinting at organised networks that not only supply domestic demand but also facilitate trafficking beyond Nigeria’s borders, ” he said.

Painting a grim picture of the challenge, Marwa said that the social and public health implications were stark with youth and adults alike turning to habitual cannabis use often initiated in late adolescence.

“This also includes increased dependency, and cascading social harms, lost productivity, crime, and the burden on overstretched healthcare systems.

“More revealing is the fact that out of a total of 15 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs seized by NDLEA in the past five years, over 75 percent of them are cannabis.

“Just imagine the harm that quantity would have done to our youths, public health and national security,” he said.

Marwa however, expressed confidence that the alternative development initiative would reverse the trend if given strong national response and sustained support.

This, he said, was because it’s fully aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

“This pilot project was flagged off with the invaluable support of several global institutions and partners, including the UNODC, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD), Berlin, Germany.

“Others supporters are Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage (MFLF), Bangkok, Thailand; as well as support from friendly countries and development partners committed to sustainable livelihoods and community resilience.

“Also including friends and partners who participated virtually from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Germany, Thailand, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Netherlands, Myanmar, Bhutan, Laos, Afghanistan, Iran, and Guatemala.

“Also significant was the presence and support of Ondo State Governor, Dr Lucky Ayedatiwa and the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyariwho who was ably represented by the Regional Director Southwest, Mrs. Alao Temitayo,”he said.