Ondo State has been selected as the pilot location for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Alternative Development Programme, as the agency intensifies efforts to curb illicit drug cultivation and abuse nationwide.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), disclosed this during a courtesy visit to Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, Governor of Ondo State, at the Government House in Akure.
Marwa revealed that an estimated 15 million Nigerians aged between 15 and 64 currently use drugs, nearly three times the global average. Citing the 2018 United Nations drug use survey, he said one in every seven Nigerians within that age bracket consumes drugs, describing the figure as alarming.
According to him, Ondo State has a drug use prevalence rate of 17 per cent, representing about 400,000 users. He compared this with Lagos State’s 33 per cent, estimated at two million users, and Oyo State’s 24 per cent.
Presenting operational statistics, Marwa said the NDLEA Ondo State Command recorded 336 arrests, seized 22,316 kilogrammes of illicit drugs and secured 62 convictions in 2025 alone. He added that an additional 207,000 kilogrammes of cannabis were seized and destroyed from farms and plantations across the state during the same period.
He further disclosed that the NDLEA counselling and rehabilitation centre in Ondo treated 243 drug users last year, noting that the state remains Nigeria’s highest producer of cannabis due to favourable climate and soil conditions.
Marwa said the agency has commissioned the Nigerian Academy of Science to conduct studies on cannabis-extracted oil for medicinal use, stressing that any move towards controlled cultivation or export would be guided strictly by scientific evidence.
To complement enforcement, he explained that the NDLEA has established an Alternative Development Unit to engage cannabis-growing communities and promote a transition to legal agricultural activities. The programme focuses on sustainable livelihoods through farm inputs, infrastructure, schools, clinics and access to markets. Ondo was selected for the pilot phase after more than a year of engagement with local communities.
Responding, Governor Aiyedatiwa pledged the full support of his administration for the NDLEA, particularly in implementing the Alternative Development Programme. He described Marwa’s hands-on leadership as a strong signal of commitment to addressing drug cultivation, trafficking and abuse.
While acknowledging that Ondo is Nigeria’s largest producer of cannabis, the governor noted that the state is also a leading producer of legitimate crops such as cocoa. He assured continued support for NDLEA operations, including logistics and inter-agency collaboration, and welcomed the proposal to site the Alternative Development Unit within the governor’s office in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Aiyedatiwa also expressed interest in the medicinal potential of cannabis oil, urging the NDLEA to expedite its studies and share findings with the state, while advocating regulated cultivation for medical purposes in line with global best practices.
By Fidelis David, Akure
Follow us on:
