Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has pledged his ministry’s support to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), promising to provide viable farming alternatives for illicit cannabis growers and agricultural opportunities for drug users completing rehabilitation.
The move follows a proposal from NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), who stressed that national security and food security are inseparable.
“We cannot tackle national security without adequate attention to drug control because they are interlinked,” Marwa said, noting that 10.6 million of Nigeria’s 14.3 million drug users consume cannabis—often in diverse and dangerous forms.
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Under the NDLEA’s new “Alternative Development” initiative, cannabis farmers will be encouraged to switch to legal crops, including artemisia annua—a plant used in malaria treatment that could generate up to $100 billion annually for Nigeria.
Marwa said the programme has won backing from the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs and requires agricultural incentives such as seedlings, tractors, and irrigation to succeed.
Kyari welcomed the plan, warning that inaction could “breed criminals instead of the next generation of leaders.”
He is also committed to integrating rehabilitated drug users into government farming schemes to reduce relapse rates, adding: “We’re willing to partner with you on the excellent work you’re doing.”
A joint technical committee will now develop the roadmap for the collaboration, which Nigerian officials hope will address drug abuse, reduce crime, and open new economic opportunities—offering a model other nations facing similar challenges might follow.