With its Alternative Development pilot programme recently taking off in three communities in Ondo State, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) hopes to help farmers of cannabis and other illicit drugs transit to legitimate alternative crops like cocoa, cassava, yam and beans. BOLA JOSEPH writes.
Ondo State recently played host to a landmark visit that blended symbolism, policy dialogue and grassroots engagement, as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), arrived in the Sunshine State on a four-day official tour aimed at reshaping the narrative around drug control and community development.
The visit, which attracted eminent personalities from across the country, was widely described as a moment of hope for many ordinary cannabis farmers who have resolved to abandon illicit cultivation in favour of lawful and sustainable livelihoods. For them, the NDLEA’s Alternative Development Initiative represents not just a policy shift, but a lifeline.
True to his reputation for modesty, the former Military Administrator of Lagos and Borno states arrived in Ondo State aboard a commercial flight; a gesture that underscored his personal philosophy of simplicity and service. He was received at the airport by heads of security agencies, led by the Commander of the 32 Artillery Brigade, Brigadier General Justin Ifeanyi, alongside senior officials of the Ondo State Government.
At the Government House in Akure, Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa accorded Marwa and his delegation a warm, almost regal reception, setting the tone for a visit that would combine high-level policy discussions with direct community engagements.
New approach to old problem
The second day was set for a new approach to an old problem as the visit commenced with a warm courtesy visit to the governor’s office and the palace of the Deji of Akure. Thereafter, he ensured he met with CAN Chairman, Ondo State and the leadership.
The Chairman didn’t leave aside the Chief Imam of Akure Kingdom, where they all agreed to collaborate with the NDLEA to eradicate illicit drugs in the state.
The well attended town hall meeting in Akure was organised under the Renewed Hope Alternative Development Advocacy Mission.
Addressing stakeholders, Governor Aiyedatiwa called for comprehensive and people-centred strategies to tackle drug abuse, urging young people to reject illicit substances and embrace alternative livelihoods.
He described the NDLEA initiative as timely and visionary, noting that drug abuse remains a serious threat to public health, social stability and economic productivity, often fuelling crime and youth restiveness.
According to the governor, tackling the root causes of poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunity is far more effective than relying solely on enforcement.
“When people are productively engaged, the urge to indulge in drug abuse and other illicit activities is significantly reduced,” Aiyedatiwa said, highlighting his administration’s investments in skills acquisition, agriculture, vocational training and youth-focused grants.
He assured the NDLEA of the state government’s full support, pledging collaboration with traditional rulers, religious institutions, civil society organisations and the private sector to strengthen prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.
National and international backing
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator AbubakarKyari, CON, represented by the ministry’s South-West Regional Director, Mrs. TemitayoAlao, commended the initiative, describing it as a direct response to hunger, poverty and unemployment among vulnerable populations. He noted that the programme aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by promoting food security and job creation.
International partners also lent their voices. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, through its Deputy Director-General for Partnerships, Dr. TahirouAbdoulaye (represented by Dr. Noel Mulinganya), described the pilot project as timely and impactful, capable of addressing the vulnerabilities that push communities into illicit economies.
Formally, the launch of the Alternative Development Pilot Project by Brig-Gen Marwa, was described as a decisive shift from a purely enforcement-driven approach to one rooted in empowerment and partnership.
“Alternative development changes our relationship from enforcement to empowerment. We want a total shift from illicit cropping to productive cash and food crops,” he said.
Citing the 2018 National Drug Use Survey, Marwa noted that about 14.4 million Nigerians, one in seven adults, use drugs; a trend that fuels crimes ranging from kidnapping to terrorism.
In Ondo State alone, drug use prevalence stands at about 17 per cent, translating to roughly 400,000 users.
Despite Ondo’s status as Nigeria’s leading cocoa producer, Marwa observed that the state is also the country’s highest producer of cannabis. Over the past five years, the NDLEA has seized about 12 million kilograms of cannabis nationwide, with a significant proportion traced to Ondo State.
The programme, he explained, is designed to help communities voluntarily abandon illicit crops such as cannabis and transition to legitimate alternatives including cocoa, cassava, yam and beans. Ondo State was selected for the pilot phase because of its prominence in cannabis cultivation.
Crucially, Marwa stressed that the initiative is not a pretext for arrests. Rather, it is a collaborative effort supported by the Federal Government, the United Nations and other international partners, with strong emphasis on community ownership and sustainability.
The final days of the visit took Marwa to the three pilot communities- Ifon in Ose Local Government Area, Ilu-Abo in Akure North, and Eleyeowo where the policy conversations found human faces.
In Ilu-Abo, residents erupted in excitement as the NDLEA chairman paid a courtesy visit to the monarch, Oba Samuel Oluyemisi, who praised the initiative as a product of “deep and creative thinking.” The monarch noted that while traditional efforts had reduced illicit cultivation, economic hardship had pushed some youths into crime.
“If they are given alternative engagement, they will have no interest in crime or drug production,” Oba Oluyemisi said, pledging total support for the programme.
Mr. Noel Mulinganya, who works with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), spoke during the project kickoff at Ilu-Abo after collaborating in the planting exercise and supporting the NDLEA, the state government, and the host community in initiating the project. He expressed his admiration for the NDLEA’s efforts to attract more youths away from illegal activities and engage them in agriculture.
According to him, the IITA has a strong programme focused on youth engagement in agriculture as a means of wealth and job creation.
He noted that the IITA is committed to supporting the NDLEA by transferring relevant technologies, knowledge and skills that will help the youths and other members of the community understand the benefits agriculture offers, enabling them to build sustainable livelihoods beyond illegal activities.
In a powerful demonstration of commitment, Marwa announced financial support for the communities -₦15 million for Eleyeowo and ₦20 million for Ifon to kick-start lawful farming and other productive ventures.
For many residents, the support was deeply personal. Mrs. Bridget Olaoluwa, a 46-year-old farmer from Eleyeowo, admitted she had been involved in illicit farming since her youth. With emotion, she pledged to abandon the practice and invest in a legitimate business if supported.
Another farmer, Mr. Victor Ajanaku, 50, described the initiative as an eye-opener. “For the first time, I see NDLEA personnel not as enemies, but as partners in progress,” he said, urging transparency to ensure that promised funds reach genuine beneficiaries.
Traditional rulers, religious leaders, the judiciary and civil society groups all pledged support during the visit. The Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, and the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, both assured the NDLEA of sustained collaboration to curb drug abuse.
As the visit drew to a close, Marwa warned that proposed amendments to the NDLEA Act would soon impose stiffer penalties between 15 and 25 years imprisonment for drug-related offences. Yet, the overarching message of the Ondo tour was clear: lasting change lies not only in punishment, but in opportunity.
From town halls to farmlands, the NDLEA’s Alternative Development Pilot in Ondo State signals a bold attempt to turn illicit fields into pathways of hope one community at a time.
Illicit drugs: Marwa calls for national response, support for alternative development
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) has called for a strong national response and sustained support for the alternative development programme recently initiated to curb illicit cannabis cultivation, uplift rural communities and strengthen national security.
Marwa spoke at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday to drum 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 include strengthening rural economies through value-chain development; reducing the burden on law enforcement and the justice system; promoting peace and social cohesion in previously crime-prone areas; 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 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, 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.”
He 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. “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 assured that the Agency “remains fully committed to expanding this programme nationwide, in partnership with all stakeholders, as we collectively build a safer, healthier, and more prosperous Nigeria in alignment with the renewed hope agenda of the President Tinubu administration.”
Speaking on the successful flag-off of the scheme in Ondo state, Marwa said “one of the most encouraging outcomes of this pilot project has been the overwhelming acceptance and support expressed by the host communities and their traditional and community leaders. They have openly stated that this programme has renewed their hope in Nigeria and restored their confidence in government. They recognise that Alternative Development offers a dignified and lawful source of income for farmers; reduction in poverty and vulnerability, especially among rural households; 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 noted that by 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. “The evidence-based comprehensive data on drug use in Nigeria exposes 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 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (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, 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 further disclosed that “cannabis is not a marginal issue in Nigeria – it is the most frequently used and widely available illicit drug in the country. An estimated 10.6 million adults – more than one in every ten Nigerians in the prime of life – reported using cannabis in the past year, far outstripping the use of other drugs. 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.”
Painting a grim picture of the challenge, Marwa said “the social and public health implications are stark. With youth and adults alike turning to habitual cannabis use often initiated in late adolescence, the nation faces the threat of long-term health consequences, increased dependency, and cascading social harms, including lost productivity, crime, and the burden on overstretched healthcare systems. More revealing is the fact that out of a total of 15 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs seized by the 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 however expressed confidence that the alternative development initiative will reverse the trend if given strong national response and sustained support because it’s fully aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
He commended national stakeholders and international partners that have shown support for the initiative. “This pilot project was flagged off with the invaluable support of several global institutions and partners, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD), Berlin, Germany; Mae FahLuang Foundation under Royal Patronage (MFLF), Bangkok, Thailand; as well as support from friendly countries and development partners committed to sustainable livelihoods and community resilience, 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, Senator AbubakarKyari, who was ably represented by the Regional Director Southwest, Mrs. AlaoTemitayo.”
