16.8.2025
Nigeria’s Agriculture and Food Security Ministry and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency are planning a collaboration to introduce alternative crops to growers of Cannabis popularly known as “Igbo” in local parlance.
Nigeria is a major source of cannabis and the third highest consumer of the weed in the world. Cannabis is illegal in Nigeria, but it is widely grown in States like Lagos, Edo, Delta, Osun, Oyo, Ogun and Ondo.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, and NDLEA chairman Gen. Buba Marwa rtd during a recent meeting in Abuja acknowledged the need to encourage farmers to grow food crops rather than farm the illicit drug.
According to Senator Kyari his Ministry will support in the areas of creating alternatives for illicit drug producers and provision of agricultural opportunities for drug users undergoing rehabilitation to prevent them from relapsing.
Gen Marwa rtd noted that out of the 14.3 million drug users in Nigeria, 10.6 million of them abuse cannabis alone, making the psychoactive substance the most abused in the country.
Marwa stated, “Instead of living in fear of arrest by NDLEA, they will lead respectable lives with their families and their communities.”
He stated, “As you know, cannabis is not only smoked but also eaten. They make soup with it. They mix it with hot drinks to produce monkey tail. They take it in all kinds of forms. Every week, we make arrests. And still, they keep at it, because there’s so much money in the business. And so, we sat down and reflected and felt that there’s a more permanent solution to this, especially with the growers of cannabis.’’
Gen Marwa said that the agency decided to create another platform called Alternative Development, which seeks to persuade cannabis growers to change from growing cannabis which was illicit to something licit.
He said, “But for us to tell cannabis growers, please, don’t grow cannabis, grow something else there has to be incentives for them to agree. I have had a meeting with some cannabis growers and discussed this idea with them. The fact that they agreed to come and meet me without the fear that they are being tricked so that we could arrest them, was a positive sign.
“We sat and had an engagement, and I have also sent a delegation to their communities. This is where we need the support of the ministry to give them some inputs, seedlings, tractors, water, fertilizers, chemicals, and others.’’ With NAN reports
Cannabis farm raided by the NDLEA agents.