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, accounting for about 75 per cent of all drug seizures recorded by the agency in the last five years.
Gatekeepers News reports that Marwa disclosed this on Tuesday during a media briefing in Abuja, where he called for urgent national support for alternative crop development to discourage illegal cannabis cultivation.
He urged sustained backing for the NDLEA’s Alternative Development Programme, recently launched to help cannabis farmers transition to lawful and sustainable crops.
“This approach represents a win-win solution for communities, government, and national security,” Marwa said.
According to him, the initiative is not only designed to reduce illicit drug production but also to strengthen rural economies and ease pressure on law enforcement.
“The alternative development programme is not just a drug-control initiative; it is a people-centred development intervention aimed at uplifting communities, strengthening national security, and securing Nigeria’s future,” he stated.
Marwa revealed that the pilot phase of the programme was launched last week in three major cannabis-producing communities in Ondo State, where it has already received positive feedback from traditional rulers and farmers.
“The farmers 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,” he said.
Highlighting the scale of the challenge, the NDLEA boss cited the 2018 National Drug Use Survey, which showed that more than 10.6 million adults in Nigeria used cannabis in the year preceding the survey, making it the country’s most frequently abused illicit substance.
“Cannabis is not a marginal issue in Nigeria; it is central to our drug crisis,” Marwa said.
He further disclosed that nearly 8,900 hectares of land are currently under cannabis cultivation, particularly in high-risk areas across the South-West.
Marwa also revealed that the NDLEA seized over 15 million kilograms of illicit drugs nationwide in the last five years, with cannabis accounting for the majority.
“Just imagine the damage this quantity would have done to our youths, public health, and national security,” he said.
Despite the scale of the problem, Marwa expressed optimism that with sustained political and community support, the programme could 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,” he added.
