Abuja, Nigeria — The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raised the alarm over the scale of drug abuse and illicit cannabis cultivation in Nigeria, revealing that an estimated 14.4% of Nigerians aged 15–64—about 14.3 million people—used at least one psychoactive substance in the past year, more than double the global average.
Addressing journalists at a press conference in Abuja, the NDLEA Chairman said cannabis remains the most widely used and readily available illicit drug in Nigeria, with over 10.6 million adults reporting use in the past year. He added that the challenge extends beyond consumption, noting that nearly 8,900 hectares of land—mainly in parts of the South-West and South-South—are under cannabis cultivation, often concealed in forests and remote locations and linked to organized trafficking networks.
According to the NDLEA, the drug problem has serious public health, social and security implications. “Criminal elements—insurgents, bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and murderers—largely rely on cannabis before carrying out violent crimes,” the Chairman said. He disclosed that over 75% of the 15 million kilograms of illicit drugs seized by the NDLEA in the last five years were cannabis, underscoring the magnitude of the threat to youth wellbeing and national security.
Alternative Development Programme Launched
To address the root causes of illicit cultivation, the NDLEA announced the launch of a game-changing Alternative Development Programme (ADP), aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu. The initiative offers illicit cannabis growers lawful and sustainable livelihoods through the cultivation of alternative crops such as cassava, maize, cowpeas, coconut and vegetables, alongside broader economic empowerment support.
The Chairman revealed that the pilot phase was launched between 26 and 28 January 2026 in three communities in Ondo State—Luagbo and Eleewo in Akure North Local Government Area, and Yiforme in Ose Local Government Area—after over a year of community engagement.
The pilot project received backing from global partners including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and development partners from Germany, Thailand, Latin America and other regions. The Ondo State Governor and representatives of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security also pledged support with seedlings, land, fertilizer and other inputs.
Community leaders, the NDLEA Chairman said, expressed relief at the opportunity to exit illicit farming, citing constant fear of arrest, stigma and the negative impact on their families. Many pledged full cooperation, saying alternative development restores dignity, improves food security and strengthens community stability.
The NDLEA emphasized that alternative development goes beyond crop substitution, promising benefits such as reduced pressure on law enforcement, stronger rural economies, improved food production and enhanced national security.
“The Alternative Development Programme is not just drug control—it is a people-centred development intervention,” the Chairman said, calling on governments at all levels, traditional rulers, development partners, the private sector, civil society and the media to support its expansion nationwide.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to scaling up the programme across Nigeria to build safer, healthier and more prosperous communities.
