No fewer than 10.6 million Nigerians use cannabis annually, while about 8,900 hectares of land are currently under illicit cannabis cultivation nationwide, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has revealed.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), disclosed this on Tuesday, 3 February 2026, during a press conference in Abuja, where he called for a strong national response and sustained support for the Alternative Development Programme designed to curb illicit drug cultivation and strengthen national security.
According to the anti-narcotics czar, cannabis remains Nigeria’s most widely used and cultivated illicit drug, accounting for over 75 per cent of the 15 million kilograms of illicit drugs seized by the agency in the last five years.
He said the scale of cultivation and consumption poses serious risks to public health, youth development and national security, warning that drug abuse continues to fuel crime, insecurity and economic instability.
Citing the 2018 National Drug Use Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics with technical support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Marwa noted that about 14.3 million Nigerians aged 15–64 had used at least one psychoactive substance within a year—more than twice the global average.
He added that field assessments in high-risk areas, particularly in the South-West, revealed clusters of cannabis farms hidden in forests and remote locations, often linked to organised criminal networks involved in domestic distribution and cross-border trafficking.
To address the challenge, Marwa said the NDLEA has adopted an Alternative Development approach, recently piloted in the Ondo State communities of Ilu Abo, Ifon and Eleyewo. The initiative replaces cannabis cultivation with lawful, sustainable agricultural and economic opportunities.
He explained that the programme goes beyond crop substitution, focusing on rural economic empowerment, agricultural value-chain development, food security, poverty reduction and community stability.
“This is a win-win solution for communities, government and national security,” Marwa said, adding that the pilot scheme had received overwhelming support from host communities and traditional leaders, who described it as a source of renewed hope and restored confidence in government.
The NDLEA boss stressed that drug control efforts must move beyond enforcement alone, noting that alternative development tackles the root causes of illicit drug production rather than merely addressing its symptoms.
He called on all tiers of government, traditional institutions, development partners, the private sector, civil society and the media to support the expansion of the programme nationwide. He also urged affected communities to partner with the agency in building lawful and productive livelihoods.
Marwa assured that the initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and reaffirmed the NDLEA’s commitment to scaling up the programme across the country.
He commended the support of international and national partners, including UNODC, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development, the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, the Ondo State Government and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
