In a strategic move to address drug cultivation through sustainable development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd),, has reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to tackling the root causes of illicit drug production by strengthening strategic partnerships with development institutions.
Brig. Gen. Marwa , led members of the NDLEA management team to the headquarters of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Oyo State, where he held high-level discussions with senior officials of the Institute. The IITA delegation was led by its Acting Director-General and Deputy Director-General, Ms. Hilde Koper.
The engagement focused on deepening collaboration and securing sustained support for the Alternative Development Pilot Project, recently launched by the NDLEA in three cannabis-cultivating communities—Ilu Abo, Ifon and Eleyewo in Ondo State.
The initiative is designed to provide lawful, sustainable agricultural and economic alternatives to communities historically dependent on illicit cannabis cultivation.
Speaking during the interaction, the NDLEA Chairman emphasized that effective drug control must go beyond arrests and seizures to include community-based solutions, economic empowerment, and development-driven interventions.
He noted that partnerships with institutions such as IITA are critical to helping vulnerable communities transition to legitimate livelihoods, thereby reducing the incentive to engage in illegal drug production.
Ms. Koper, on behalf of IITA, welcomed the collaboration and reiterated the Institute’s readiness to support programmes that align agricultural development with social stability, rural empowerment, and national security objectives.
As part of his working visit, Brig. Gen. Marwa also toured the NDLEA Oyo State Command, where he addressed officers and men of the Agency. He commended their dedication and urged them to remain professional, people-oriented, and resolute in the discharge of their duties, stressing that the fight against drugs is both a law enforcement mission and a social responsibility.
The visit underscores the NDLEA’s evolving strategy of combining enforcement with advocacy, development, and partnership-driven solutions to sustainably curb drug cultivation and trafficking across Nigeria.
The development was disclosed in a statement by the Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi.