Marwa Urges National Backing for Alternative Development to Tackle Illicit Drugs

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has called for a coordinated national response and sustained support for Nigeria’s alternative development programme aimed at curbing illicit cannabis cultivation and strengthening national security.
Marwa made the call at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, while drumming support for the initiative—described as the first of its kind in Africa—which was recently piloted in three cannabis-producing communities of Ilu Abo, Ifon and Eleyewo in Ondo State.
He explained that the alternative development strategy goes beyond simple crop substitution, stressing that it is a people-centred intervention designed to uplift rural communities while addressing the root causes of illicit drug production. According to him, the programme’s wider benefits include strengthening rural economies through value-chain development, reducing pressure on law enforcement and the justice system, promoting peace and social cohesion in crime-prone areas, boosting food production and agricultural diversification, and improving Nigeria’s international standing in global drug control efforts.
“This approach represents a win-win solution for communities, government and national security,” Marwa said, adding that the successful take-off of the Ondo pilot scheme demonstrated that alternative development works when communities are engaged and empowered.
He appealed to 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. He also urged communities affected by illicit drug cultivation across the country to embrace the model and collaborate with the NDLEA in building lawful and sustainable livelihoods.
Reiterating the agency’s commitment, Marwa said the programme aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and would be expanded nationwide in partnership with relevant stakeholders.
The NDLEA boss noted that host communities in Ondo State had shown overwhelming acceptance of the scheme, with traditional and community leaders expressing renewed confidence in government. He said they recognised the programme’s potential to provide dignified income for farmers, reduce poverty and vulnerability, improve food security through alternative crops, and enhance community safety by dismantling criminal networks linked to cannabis cultivation.
Marwa said the agency was compelled to adopt the United Nations-endorsed alternative development model after data revealed the scale of Nigeria’s drug challenge. Citing the 2018 National Drug Use Survey by the National Bureau of Statistics with support from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), he disclosed that about 14.4 per cent of Nigerians aged 15–64—roughly 14.3 million people—had used at least one psychoactive substance in the previous year, more than double the global average.
According to him, cannabis remains the most widely used and cultivated illicit drug in the country, with an estimated 10.6 million adults reporting its use. Field assessments in high-risk areas of the South-West, he added, show nearly 8,900 hectares of land under cannabis cultivation, often controlled by organised networks supplying both local and international markets.
He warned that the social and public health consequences are severe, particularly for young people, citing increased dependency, crime, lost productivity and pressure on healthcare systems. Marwa revealed that more than 75 per cent of the 15 million kilogrammes of illicit drugs seized by the NDLEA over the past five years were cannabis.
Despite the grim outlook, he expressed confidence that the alternative development initiative would reverse the trend if it receives sustained national support. He commended international partners and institutions backing the pilot project, including UNODC, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD), and the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, as well as development partners from several countries.
He also acknowledged the support of Ondo State Governor, Dr. Lucky Ayedatiwa, and the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, who was represented at the event.