The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured the backing of Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, and the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, for a programme aimed at persuading cannabis farmers to abandon illicit cultivation for legitimate agriculture.
The initiative, which offers cannabis growers alternatives such as cassava, yam and maize, follows the agency’s arrest of more than 1,200 suspected traffickers and seizure of over 30 tonnes of illicit substances in Edo State in 2025.
The agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), disclosed the figures on Wednesday in Benin City while seeking the support of the Edo State Government and the traditional institution for an intensified campaign against drug abuse and illicit trafficking.
The intervention signals a shift beyond arrests and seizures towards confronting the economic incentives sustaining cannabis production, particularly in communities where illicit cultivation has become a source of livelihood.
Marwa, who led the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy to Edo, said the Alternative Development Programme, whose pilot phase was launched in Ondo State in January, would be extended to the state following encouraging results.
Under the programme, cannabis farmers are encouraged to switch to legitimate crops, with government support through farm inputs and the provision of essential community infrastructure, including roads, schools, clinics and water facilities.
At Government House, Benin City, Governor Okpebholo pledged his administration’s full cooperation with the agency, describing illicit drugs as a major underlying factor in criminal activities, including kidnapping.
“At the root of virtually every crime is the issue of drugs. From our experience, even kidnappers first ask their victims for drugs before demanding ransom. That shows that illicit drug is our enemy,” the governor said.
He commended the NDLEA’s operations in Edo and assured Marwa that his administration would provide the necessary support to strengthen the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
“Your officers and men in Edo are doing excellent work. We are ready to work with you, we are ready to partner with you, and we are ready to support you with any request you bring before us,” he said.
The governor was subsequently decorated as a WADA Grand Ambassador in recognition of his commitment to the anti-drug campaign.
Marwa said the Alternative Development Programme was particularly important because enforcement alone could not permanently address the problem of illicit cultivation without providing farmers with economically viable alternatives.
He explained that Nigeria had become the first country in Africa to adopt alternative development as a strategic pillar of drug control, adding that the initiative had received the endorsement of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Federal Government under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to him, the programme recognises that farmers must be given sustainable economic options if they are to abandon a crop that offers attractive financial returns but exposes them to criminal prosecution.
“The growers themselves have confided in us that they are grateful for this initiative. Even though there is more money in cannabis, they will at least have peace of mind when they cultivate licit crops. With cannabis, they are perpetually ill at ease in their homes with their families for fear of NDLEA,” he said.
At the palace of the Oba of Benin, Marwa sought the monarch’s intervention in persuading communities across the Benin Kingdom to stay away from cannabis cultivation and drug trading.
He described drug abuse as one of the three leading problems confronting Nigeria, disclosing that more than 15 million Nigerians abuse drugs, a prevalence rate he said was approximately three times the global average.
The NDLEA chairman warned that the menace had penetrated schools and communities, making the involvement of traditional rulers indispensable to efforts to prevent a further deterioration of the situation.
He disclosed that cannabis accounted for 75 per cent of the 16 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit substances seized nationwide by the agency in the last five years, underscoring the significance of locally cultivated cannabis to the country’s drug problem.
Marwa urged traditional rulers, religious organisations, civil society groups and the media to complement the agency’s enforcement operations with sustained community-level advocacy.
“It is the job of the NDLEA to enforce the law against drug trafficking, and as well help those who are addicted to drugs with counselling, treatment and rehabilitation. But this is an assignment that we cannot do alone. It is a whole-of-society approach,” he said.
He described traditional institutions as particularly influential in mobilising communities, noting that their authority and public acceptance made them indispensable allies in the campaign.
The NDLEA chairman also commended the Oba for his interventions against social problems, including kidnapping and human trafficking, and said the monarch’s efforts had contributed to reducing human trafficking in the kingdom.
Responding, Oba Ewuare II thanked Marwa for recognising the contributions of the Benin Kingdom to the fight against drug abuse and other social problems.
The monarch, however, indicated that he had recommendations for improving the agency’s operations, which he preferred to communicate privately.
“I have a suggestion that I will make in writing to NDLEA. I would not want to state it here in public. I want to put it quietly as my own thinking on how to improve the work of NDLEA,” he said.
Beyond the palace and Government House engagements, Marwa extended the mobilisation campaign to the transport sector, meeting leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Edo State, led by Comrade Saturday Oamen.
He urged transport operators to deploy their networks and influence to discourage drug abuse and trafficking among drivers and other members, particularly in motor parks, which he identified as important spaces for community-level sensitisation.
The NDLEA chairman was also scheduled to engage religious and civil society leaders as part of efforts to build a broader coalition against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
Michael Olugbode
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