NDLEA Offers Legal Wealth To Cannabis Growers

In a strategic shift from pure enforcement to community empowerment, the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has launched the Alternative Development Pilot Project, aimed at transitioning illicit cannabis growers toward sustainable, legal agriculture.
​Speaking on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at a town hall meeting in Akure, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) framed the initiative as a “permanent exit” from the drug trade that aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda for food security.
​From Enforcement to Empowerment
​The pilot project, launched in collaboration with the Ondo State government and international partners like the UNODC and IITA, seeks to break the cycle of poverty and insecurity often found in drug-cultivating hubs. Marwa emphasized that the wealth from illicit drugs rarely stays in the farming communities, leaving behind only soil degradation and crime.
​”Alternative Development is about empowerment as an alternative to enforcement,” Marwa stated. “We want to facilitate a total shift from illicit cropping to massive food and cash crop production. While the kingpins prosper elsewhere, the cultivating communities are often left with poverty, soil degradation, and insecurity.”
​High-Value Crop Substitution
​A central pillar of the project is the Crop Substitution Programme. Marwa highlighted specific legal alternatives, such as Artemisia Annua—a plant used in anti-malarial treatments—which he noted carries a higher financial value than cannabis.
The Chairman assured communities that this project is not a “deceptive tool” for mass arrests. Instead, he characterized it as a partnership:
​Inclusivity: Farmers and vulnerable individuals are invited as active participants.
​Amnesty of Spirit: Marwa declared that cooperating communities are no longer “enemies” of the agency but “partners in progress.”
​Security Link: He noted that curbing drug production directly weakens the financial base of terror groups like Boko Haram and bandits who trade drugs for arms.
​Stakeholder Support and Scaling
​The project received a significant boost from Ondo State Governor, Dr. Lucky Ayedatiwa, who pledged land allocation, clearing services, and seedlings to support the transition.
​”For us, we are ready to allocate land, and do clearing, provide seed and seedlings to support this initiative,” Ayedatiwa said, urging the youth to swap innovation for illicit activity.
​The Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, speaking for traditional rulers, also endorsed the move, citing the “legal opportunities” as a far superior path for the region’s youth.
​Next Steps
​The pilot begins in three pioneering communities in Ondo State. Following a period of assessment, the NDLEA plans to make recommendations to the Federal Government to scale the model across Nigeria.