The National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has launched an Alternative Development Pilot Project aimed at ending illicit cannabis cultivation by providing affected communities with sustainable and legal livelihood options.
The initiative was unveiled on Tuesday in Akure, Ondo State, at a town hall meeting attended by national stakeholders, international development partners, traditional rulers and community leaders.
The project is designed to replace illicit drug farming with profitable food and cash crop production, while reducing drug-related insecurity.
Speaking at the event, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd), said the programme represents a shift from confrontation to cooperation between law enforcement and farming communities involved in illicit crop cultivation.
According to Marwa, the Alternative Development Project will help break the long-standing cycle of poverty, insecurity and environmental damage associated with cannabis farming, while supporting Nigeria’s food security goals under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He explained that drug cultivation often benefits criminal networks rather than host communities, leaving behind degraded farmland and social instability. “The kingpins prosper elsewhere, while the farmers are left with poverty and insecurity,” Marwa said, adding that the new approach prioritises empowerment over enforcement.
The NDLEA boss stressed that participation in the programme is voluntary and targeted only at communities willing to abandon illicit cultivation. He assured residents that the initiative is not a trap to arrest farmers, but a genuine effort to help them transition to lawful agriculture.
Marwa noted that alternative crops such as Artemisia annua, which has medicinal and commercial value, could generate higher income than cannabis while contributing to public health and economic growth.
The Ondo State Governor, Dr. Lucky Ayedatiwa, welcomed the pilot project and pledged the full support of his administration. He said the state government would provide land, seedlings and other agricultural inputs to ensure the success of the initiative.
Ayedatiwa also urged young people to reject drug abuse and embrace legitimate opportunities offered through the programme, describing youths as key drivers of development.
International partners, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and development agencies from Europe, expressed support for the project, which aligns with global best practices on crop substitution and sustainable livelihoods.
Traditional rulers in the state also backed the initiative. Speaking on their behalf, the Olowo of Owo Kingdom and Chairman of the Ondo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, called on youths to embrace the programme, warning of the social and legal consequences of drug cultivation.
The Alternative Development Pilot Project will begin in three communities in Ondo State, after which its impact will be assessed and recommendations made to the Federal Government for nationwide expansion.
