The war on drugs is not new because many countries around the world have developed plans to shield their citizens from the devastation caused by these lethal drugs.
People were perplexed when the United States of America (USA) sent security personnel to Columbia in the late 1980s to combat the production of cocaine, which was mostly being exported to the USA.
Security personnel ventured deep inside the factories that process the tubers into powder and cracks, as well as the plantations where the plant is cultivated.
The amount of cargo shipped from Columbia to the United States decreased as a result of the war.
From the beginning, Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had implemented the destruction of cannabis sativa farms and seizures.
In his capacity as NDLEA’s current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), has developed a novel approach to combat drug cultivation and trafficking in the nation.
Similar to how he launched the Keke Marwa tricycle to alleviate transportation issues during his tenure as Lagos’ military administrator, Marwa has developed a new plan he named the Alternative Development Initiative to deter cannabis sativa cultivation in the nation.
The idea and execution of this program are comprehensive since the planters are given the necessary equipment and seeds to start cultivating legal crops in their neighborhoods.
The former Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa disclosed that the first beneficiaries of the project’s pilot program are the former cannabis sativa cultivators during his presentation last Tuesday in Akure, the capital of Ondo State.
The future of their children is at risk, he said, because they are unable to attend school because of their parents’ illegal activity.
They were afraid that their children would be used as a means of tracking down drug law enforcement.
Additionally, they kept their kids in secret huts so that their classmates wouldn’t make fun of them for their parents’ illicit business.
The children of the erstwhile cannabis sativa growers now have a safe future because to the new policy passed by the Buba Marwa-led NDLEA.
Now that their parents aren’t living the life of a fugitive, they may enroll in public schools and move about freely.
Observers at the scheme’s debut observed that, given the agency’s partnership with IITA, the initiative would outlive Marwa’s administration, similar to the Keke Marwa.
They added that the NDLEA leader had been interacting with the former cannabis sativa cultivators for more than a year before to the scheme’s launch on Tuesday of last week, indicating that it is not a crash program.
In order to expand the pilot program to other communities where cannabis sativa is being grown nationwide in the near future, three communities were selected.
The decision to launch the pilot program in the state that is known to be the biggest producer of the illegal narcotic, according to social commentators, reeks of being ready to make it a success story.
The audience’s questions during the pilot program’s launch also supplied insight into how people plan to jump right in.
People were thrilled when Marwa said that the plan encompasses farming, fisheries, and poultry in addition to crops.
“We are not talking only of switching crops, we have to go beyond that to actually develop the communities to give them sustainable livelihoods in terms of the farm inputs, roads, water, clinics, and schools,” Marwa reassured the contrite farmers.
Naturally, there are also ready markets. I want to be certain that markets are ready.They want to know that there is a market for them as they grow.
Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the governor of the state, spiced up the plan by pledging to give NDLEA land and seedlings to promote the initiative.
The agency’s enticing offer has caused some cannabis sativa growers to voluntarily leave the illegal trade and join the plan, according to observers.
Every producer and dealer of the illegal plant who is prepared to ditch the trade would be welcomed and integrated into the plan without being detained or charged, the drug czar promised.
He promised that the endeavor would not be a dishonest means of making an arrest.
The illegal trade is a well-known source of income for drug lords, often at the expense of society and the health of some citizens.
Investigations, according to Marwa, have shown that these barons only use the growers’ tools while giving them a pitiful sum to sit in their city mansions and enjoy their illicitly acquired wealth.
According to the head of NDLEA, investigations also showed that the growers are unaware of their employer. The cartel was found to be very well-organized but disconnected.
It was noted during the launch that Marwa was working with other organizations from Europe, Asia, and America to assure the war’s success, thus he was not fighting alone.
As a compere at the launch, Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy of NDLEA, informed the audience that some personalities from agencies and organizations providing technical support to the agency would send goodwill messages via video calls. It was assumed that these individuals would be some of the agency’s boss’s friends and associates.
In the new measure he launched, it was found that numerous combatants on the drug fronts around the world were in communication with the NDLEA chief.
The callers stated in their responses that they were confident in Marwa’s approach to fighting the battle by addressing the underlying reasons why people cultivate and sell narcotics.
The Alternative Development Initiative will address poverty, hunger, unemployment, environmental degradation, and instability by providing illegal cannabis producers with sustainable incomes, according to observers.
The agency is shifting from enforcement to empowerment, Marwa informed the crowd during the Town Hall meeting, which was attended by monarchs and other important national players.
His intention was always to use empowerment instead of enforcement.
In order for “NDLEA to no longer be enemies but friends with the communities,” communities were also asked to organize groups to combat illegal drugs and support the agriculture initiative.
The project was not thrown at the communities because, according to the NDLEA boss, it offers a chance for interaction between the NDLEA and communities engaged in illicit cropping. However, the offer is limited to communities that are sincere and willing to switch from growing illegal crops, such as cannabis, to growing legal crops.
The NDLEA chief himself visited the three communities selected for the pilot program to speak to the populace and launch the initiative.
The initiative thrilled the traditional authorities, who officially endorsed it.
Marwa revealed that he has asked the National Assembly to reform the legislation after noticing that the legal system’s current severe penalties are insufficient to deter barons and peddlers from engaging in the illegal activity.
He said that if the lawmakers approved it, the minimum penalty for using drugs would be 25 years in prison without the possibility of a fine.
When the UN drug use study in 2018 revealed that 15 million Nigerians were using hard drugs, Marwa became desperate to take drug lords and dealers to their knees.
The users claim that their ages, which range from 15 to 64, are almost three times higher than the global average.
His grievance is that drug abuse has exacerbated criminality and had a terrible impact on many families and communities.
It was found through intelligence sources that terrorists reside in the deep forests among the people that grow cannabis.
He finds this intolerable, Mara stated angrily.
However, observers urged all parties involved to back the organization’s efforts to eradicate hard narcotics from the country.
The goal assigned to legislators was to examine narcotics legislation as quickly as possible in order to alleviate the agency’s serious pressure.
